Heroes: New Beginnings
by Paradisedude91
Summary: Ordinary people are discovering extraordinary abilities. A 1950's farmboy discovers his abilities, while his girlfriend,an Irishman, a seductive woman thief, a social outcast, and a variety of other characters discover their abilities. Please R&R!
1. Chapter One, Fireworks

**Hello to anyone reading this. Now to say that I hate posting these on here would be an understatement, lol, all my stories haven't gotten anything on here or Fiction Press. But, one of my closest friends really likes this so im going to keep writing it, so im going to be around for awhile. This isn't going to be perfect, but I'm going to do what I can. Enjoy this original Heroes story-thing! Please read and review. Thanks to everyone reading this.**

Oh, the places you'll go! Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places! You're off and away!

(EVERWOOD, IOWA)

Gregory Clark's hazel brown eyes slowly opened, as he awoke to the usual bright rays of sunshine shining in his room, and of course, he had slept in rather than to the work he was supposed to do. He didn't usually sleep late, but he was tired from worrying the previous night about what today held. In fact, he was still in denial about it. So, he did wind up with a great night of sleep, but what would the cost be? Hopefully no one had noticed his inconspicuous absence. He slugged himself off the bed and then realized what exactly was happening tonight.

A date. Not just any date, but the date that would decide his whole future. It was his first date, well, his first date. Horsing around the town and goofing around wasn't the picture perfect idea of a date. To make matters worse, it was New Years Eve. To be honest, he had no idea what he was going to do. With all this trouble looming, he decided that maybe work wasn't so bad of an idea. I'm sure I'll think of something later, he thought to himself.

He couldn't hide the fact that he was shy around most people, but this was the pinnacle of his life. A night that could be magical. That was the least of his problems. Farm work was waiting, and that meant he was going to have to work. The second scariest thing in his life. Walking to the mirror, he looked at himself, then grabbed a comb. He had short hair, but then again everyone did. Grabbing the comb, he combed his light brown thin-layered hair to the side, with a smug grin on his face. He put on his usual farming clothes and took one last look in the mirror. I wonder if I look like Elvis, he pondered. That would make me all the girls come after me. Today was going to be the biggest day of his life. December 31st, 1957.

Trying to coolly walk down the hall, he didn't hear anyone, so he ran down the stairs quickly, like a flash of light. No one seemed to be home, so he could relax for a little bit. His stomach grumbled angrily, so Gregory decided to get some breakfast. Just a hunch that would fix it. Dragging himself to the kitchen, he fidgeted through the fridge and got a milk carton, along with some juice and cereal. Cheerios to be exact, could it get any better than Cheerios? Finally, he whipped out a spoon and began to take a few delicious bites of it. Something was missing though, something big. Grabbing his cereal bowl, he walked on the hard-wood floor over to his favorite gadget. Barbara, better known as the record player.

"How are you doing, Barbara? I've missed you." He said, winking at the record player. Putting down the cereal bowl, he flipped through all the available records. There were all good, but of course, he had to side with Elvis. The record was simply titled, _Elvis Presley_, and there was a bigger question. Which side would he listen to? He decided to go with side one. But then he saw one more record. Hound Dog, the most famous song in America. Sliding it into the record player and adjusting it, he picked up his cereal bowl and continued to eat. Well, mostly eating. He was dancing too. Hopefully this was going to last awhile.

"Hey Greg." A high pitched voice said. It was male though, and it was most obviously his little brother. What a way to start the most important day of his life.

"Hey, Beave." Gregory answered. Each time he called his brother Beave, it nearly made him cringe. His brother was obsessed with the show Leave It To Beaver, and watched it whenever it was on. So obsessed, he wanted to believe he was Beaver. Wanted to be famous. He had asked the family to call him Beaver, but only Greg listened.

"Are you going ape?" Beaver asked, glaring up at his big brother. His real name was James, and his age was five years old. Still, he was a lot smarter than most guys his age, and a lot trickier. A lot of girls in his school thought he was cute-- he looked like a little kid, which he was-- brown hair, brown eyes, and a few freckles.

"This music is pretty cool huh?" He said, continuing his dancing while he kept eating his cereal.

"I'll say. Mom and Dad are at the market, so you won't get in trouble."

"I should be doing some work right now, right? It's my fault. Although Barbara knows how to make me do things I normally wouldn't." Gregory said, waiting for a chuckle from 'Beaver'. Finishing the last bites of his cereal, then putting on his work shoes, he prepared to go out the door. Before he could, he heard his brother again.

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you nervous about tonight? You're night with Kathryn?"

"No." He said, trying to sound convinced. He almost convinced himself, but almost wasn't enough.

"Greg? Will you read to me if I'm not asleep when you come home?"

"Sure, Jamie--er--Beaver. Bye. Enjoy the music. Be careful with my baby." Gregory said, bursting out the door before he let all his thoughts rush into his head. What a brother. What a life.

Gregory rushed through all the work. Truth be told, he didn't really do that much. He moved some hay, but during most of his work his mind was racing. Not just about his night, but about his life. What did the future hold? After tonight, it would be a new year. A new beginning. It was exciting, but also nerve-wracking. Being a senior, he had a future ahead of him. This was it. But for now, worrying about his first real date would be enough.

His parents still weren't home, and his brother was probably in his room goofing around. Gregory slipped into his room and closed the door. Okay, so the first date wasn't for like--more than seven hours away, but why not just make sure I'm ready for this. He glanced at a leather jacket on the floor. No. Opening one of his drawers, he grabbed a leather sweater. To make his performance authentic, he slipped on some penny loafers. Moving back towards the mirror, he wondered if he should put his hair in a duck tail-- no that wouldn't be cool. He left it the way it was and started talking to the mirror.

"Hey, pretty lady. Ready for one exciting night?" He recited. Too lame.

"Hey, toots, are you ready for an unforgettable night?" Nope.

"Hot dog, you look great!" Not even close.

"You look like a movie star! Have I seen you on the Ed Sullivan Show before?" Ugh.

"Hey foxy lady, ready to smooch?" At this one, he put his right hand on his head, covering his eyes. How the heck am I going to do this, he thought. Plus, his brother would be expecting him to read. Not to mention, his parents would probably try and lecture him about his schoolwork or his weak performance on the farm. Where was his future going anyway? This night was probably going to be a disaster, and his life was more uncertain. He lived in Iowa, in the 1950's, in the Cold War. Not a good combination. Still, he couldn't give up. His life was just beginning. Moving his palm from his eyes, his eyes burst open and grew huge. This wasn't his house at all. Not even close. Glancing around, nothing at all looked familiar. Dozens and dozens of people were everywhere, and he could barely keep up with the noises around him. He knew where he was. Times Square, in New York City.

"Oh My God!" Gregory said, his eyes bulging and his mind sending a clear message. This wasn't a dream. This was real.

-----

_HEROES: NEW BEGINNINGS_

_CHAPTER ONE: "FIREWORKS"_

(NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK)

Alexis Jade lounged in her huge apartment, her green eyes and blondish-brown curly hair at ease. Huge would be an understatement for the apartment, because this apartment wasn't anything like you would expect it to. It was nice, well furnished, and took a fortune just to afford it. She relaxed on the couch, admiring all her belongings. There were plenty of them. Antique jewelry was spread everywhere as far as the eye could see, and of course she had the latest gadgets. An Apple I-Pod Video, a laptop with only the latest technology, a Nintendo Wii, and a few other gadgets she just had to brag about.

At first look, most people would only see a pretty face. In truth, if people looked beneath the surface, they would discover that she was anything but ordinary. Not that she talked to many people, she didn't even have any friends. Unless you call business partners friends. Tonight wasn't an ordinary night either, she had perhaps her biggest job assigned to her that she had ever had.

But right now, she was just concerned with covering her nails with nail polish, and watching her newest addition, a fifty two inch Samsung high-definition television. There were only a few minutes before her biggest heist ever, and she was thrilled. What could go wrong? She hadn't been caught once in all of her high-profile crimes, and she wasn't about to be thwarted tonight. There was too much money to be had here, and she already had most of her plan executed. The only hard part was missing all her favorite shows on Tivo. Glancing at her watch, she decided now was as good of a time as any. With a cocky grin, she went to dress up.

Alexis leisurely got out of her car, the newest Porche available. Nothing but the best. Her dress had also cost a fortune, made by some big-named Hollywood designer. She was pretty much a star. No one could stop her. Her custom-fitted black dress would be sure to be the talk of the party. She had other plans though, and she walked coolly up the stars of the American Museum of Natural History. This was a big-time heist, and it wasn't exactly in the small towns she was use to-- it was in New York City. But this was going to be easy, her boss had ensured her that the camera's would be disabled, and that this was going to be her easiest job yet. Maybe she was the richest woman in America-- certainly the richest woman at age twenty-five. She had some time to spare, so why not flirt a little?

"Hello." Alexis said nicely to the guard, who was promptly watching her. Undoubtedly, some business leaders were having a private showing of the museum. This was going to be a true test of her power.

"Hi there." The guard said, slightly blushing. Bald and in middle age, he wasn't that pleasing to look at. "What's your name?" He said. She wondered if this was a pick-up line or if he was really going to check the list.

"You don't need that do you? I mean. I'm sure a handsome fellow like you wouldn't mind letting me in, right?" She said persuasively, shining him an innocent and sweet face. Why not press the boundaries, anyway?

"Well, huh, I shouldn't really let you in, I mean uh. It's not something I'm supposed to do." The guard said lamely.

"Please?" She asked, giving him puppy eyes that showed off the expensive lipstick she was wearing that was a bright pink color.

"Now that I think of it, you probably just don't want to give out personal information, come on in. I don't blame you, lots of crazy stuff happen these days" The guard justified. How stupid were people this days? Stepping into the museum with her high heels, which were very uncomfortable, she tried to attract attention from each person in the crowd. Her stolen and beautiful earrings were on display for them to see. Careless to some, but it made the experience more thrilling. Time to work my talent, she thought.

Truth be told, she wasn't as eager as she sounded to steal. Sooner or later, she was going to land into trouble. Hurriedly, she shrugged those haunting thoughts away from her. She wasted time in the Fossil Hall. It was pretty dull, and she couldn't tell why all the business executives were enjoying themselves to much. She was the one with the biggest future-- she had all the items she wanted. Exotic, expensive, from places far and wide. They didn't have a future as bright as hers. She moved on to the most intriguing place she could find. The hall of human origins. This was almost interesting, because at least it wasn't sciency or boring, like most of things were at museums. Human evolution was the key theme of the hall, and it made her wonder. How did she get her power? Were there others out there like her? Is this life of crime worth everything that she was missing? Her green eyes wondering, she walked into the bathroom.

Lately, her mind had been racing. Ever since her ability had began it had. Was the ability a sign of an ending, or a new beginning? She barely paid attention to what she was doing, and before she realized it, she was ready. Her black and leather outfit was completely on her. Sure, it was cliché', but it was the biggest thrill. The reporters would go nuts, and she was so confident, she didn't mind taunting each and every person in the museum. Calmly, she walked out, and made sure no one saw her-- not that they were paying attention anyway. Like a cat, she made hardly any noise when she entered the Hall of Minerals and Gems.

There were a few people in there. This room was big, and was completely darkened. Each mineral glowed under brilliant spotlights. It took her by surprise. The rarest of the rarest gems were here. All hers. Complete power. Her job was to steal the world's most fabulous minerals. It was her biggest mission she had ever gotten. The people were gone, and she stalked by each mineral. Before she could find which one she wanted to steal the most, she was caught off guard completely. A blaring siren had broken out, and it made Alexis cover her ears for a moment. What was going on?


	2. Fireworks, part two

(PARIS, FLORIDA)

Joshua Miller measly strode to his locker. He should have been going faster, but he didn't want to get in trouble. But, like always, it was a lose-lose situation. Opening his locker, he almost forgot what was going to come next. The pictures of Aquaman, Flash, and Superman stared back at him. At least he could find some comfort at high school. After all, high school is supposed to be the best time in everyone's lives. Yeah, right, he thought angrily. But of course, he was lost in thoughts about all his favorite superheroes--- and how they would stack up with his new favorite. Before he could dwell into those thoughts, his worst fears were once again ignited.

"Hey, geek, what's up?" A certain jock asked confidently. The jock was Nick Brown, and not surprisingly, he was picking on his favorite victim. Nick was everything Joshua wasn't--Nick was tall, athletic build, dirty blonde hair, and confident emerald eyes. On the other hand, Joshua was short, had glasses, with curly dark brown hair. Joshua thought he was kind of attractive, but it seemed like jocks were always the one who got the girls. Still, he would rather have a comic book then a girl-- he wouldn't sweat as much. Numbly, Joshua tried to ignore him, but it was too late.

"Oh, look, comic book characters in your locker. Big surprise. Let's see, I think I'll choose Flash. Whoopsie!" He said, tearing the picture of Flash that he had in his locker. Joshua sighed, and then tried to intervene before he trashed his own locker.

"Come on, isn't there someone else you can harass?"

"Yeah---" He paused, thinking for a moment, "No."

"Is it too much to have iconic superheroes in my locker? Something to get me through the day? That's all I want."

"I never thought of it that way." He answered, thinking about it. Maybe he was going to stop.

"Nah, it is too much. Sorry, loser." Nick said, grabbing his other pictures of superheroes. From Batman to Spiderman to Wonder Woman to Green Lantern to Superman. All the pictures he wanted to enjoy this year were gone. The ones he had paid lots of money for. So much for a smooth year of sophomore high school. Nick gave a sly smile, cracking his knuckles.

"So, I was thinking. I know this is a little sudden for our relationships. Here it goes: Joshua, will you stuff yourself in the locker?" Nick asked like a light had gone off.

"That's not possible. Not for someone of his size and weight, you know. That goes against all scientific theories. You'd know that if you had a brain." Joshua said, rolling his eyes. He had said too much.

"Let's try it out." Nick said lifting and grabbing Joshua and trying to hurl him in his own locker. Of course, he couldn't really fit Joshua in the locker. But that didn't stop him from trying. Luckily, as if from the heavens, someone came to his rescue.

"Nick, what are you doing? What did I tell you on picking on nerds? We have better things to do. You know what I'm talking about." A girls voice said, and at once, Nicks grip left. Nick, of course, shined a look and mouthed the words "See you tomorrow." One day Nick wouldn't be able to bully him. Looking around, Joshua could see Nick and his girlfriend making out. Typical. More jocks were walking, their jersey colors standing out--yellow and red, the Paris High School Thunderbolts color. Picking up the shattered pictures of superheroes, Joshua wasn't mad, in fact, he was happy. His humiliation was over, and he was one step closer to getting home. To his favorite thing.

Striding upstairs-- rather sprinting upstairs, Joshua made a mad dash for his room. Even though school was his prison, his room was his safe haven. His Fortress of Solitude-- his home from everything else. His Justice League bed caught his eye, and he looked and admired all the posters he had in his room. Some were superheroes, some were movie posters. Anything that rejected reality, Joshua loved. And that meant anything. From the age of eight, he had been daydreaming that he was a superhero with powers. Over the past couple of days, something had changed in him. What was it? As if it was triggered, it had suddenly appeared. As if his prayers had been answered. Jumping on his bed, he lay on it and rested his head, even closing his eyes. Home, he was home.

Looking up at the ceiling, he looked at the sticky stars up around his room. More important things were on his mind. Tucking back the sheets of his bed, he reached below his pillow and pulled out at least a dozen notebook papers. This was his blessing. Looking closely, he could tell that each drawing was the same. A sketch of a young teenager, with an old-fashioned haircut in each drawing. Each one caught him in a moment, doing something. In one, he was talking to the mirror, in one he was by a record player, in one he was in the middle of a busy crowd. His latest trouble was only what to call his superhero. That's what he was. One drawing had showed him hugging his little brother, and his latest one was also special. It showed him reading a book to his brother in bed, and a necklace on his neck that wasn't in all the other drawings. He would try and decipher the story later.

What could he call this superhero? It sounded geeky, but there was something extraordinary about this, that much he knew. There was a reason why he was sketching him. Honestly, Joshua had no idea how he got this ability. A few days ago, he was drawing stick-figures of him meeting Clark Kent, and then he had seen a drawing outline in front of him. All he had to do was go over it and finish the drawing. Grabbing the drawings in a stack, he placed them all on the floor, forming a collage.

Each one told a different story. Suddenly, his eyes raced to the blank notebook paper he had put to the right of the latest drawing. He had put it there just in case, but now it was going to be useful. The outline was there, now all he had to do was finish it. It took him minutes--more than minutes, it took about forty-five minutes to finish the drawing. Every drawing was becoming more detailed than the other-- this one was simple overall, but each pencil stroke had been calculated.

The teenager who he kept drawing was-- well, kissing a girl. An extraordinarily beautiful one, nonetheless. She had her hair in a beehive, which made Joshua raise his eyebrows. A little retro, but it seemed like his hero wasn't exactly from around here in the first place. His mind clicked-- retro. Then the name came to him. Retro-man. He finally had something worthwhile in his life. It wasn't a curse, it was a blessing. But the question was still in his mind, why was he drawing Retroman and what was his mission? Was it to save the world? But for now, even Retroman kissing a girl satisfied Joshua. Every hero has his own beginning. But, was this Joshua's?

-----

(DUBLIN, IRELAND)

Ryan Quinn examined himself in the mirror. It wasn't exactly a mirror in perfect shape, in fact, it was partly shattered. Still, he gave himself a goofy smile. This was his life. Born in Ireland, with three of the craziest brothers in the world. Not to mention he had his favorite restaurant and pub which his family owned, simply titled, The Celtic Lion. They were closed for the night. It had been a hectic week. And it was about to get even more hectic, that much he knew. His brother had a pattern of getting him in trouble, which was funny considering Ryan did enough of that on his own. Especially lately.

Looking back at his partial face, he could take one last look at his face as he knew it. Sadly, he hadn't much luck with the ladies lately. Well, not that he ever had much luck with them. Too bad too, because he thought of himself as a gift to all women. Actually, he didn't, but he acted like it to get some laughs his brothers and his friends. His looks told it all-- light skinned, brown eyes, scruffy short hair with tips that reached near his eyebrows. With one last look, he charged out the bathroom door, back into the pub. Of course, his brothers were busy getting drunk. Ryan was eighteen, but he was a little more responsible than his brothers.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?" His brother asked, glancing at Ryan. His oldest brother, Liam.

"It's Ryan, stupid. You're this drunk already? You're so lucky that we're closed tonight."

"Right, about that, I can take care of this, bro. Why are we closing?" His other brother, Brian asked, the youngest one.

"Because you guys are all drunk, and I don't trust you to take care of this place and serve customers." Ryan said, slipping on a coat.

"Oh." All three of his brothers said at the same time. His third brother, Michael joined in, then fell to the floor and was knocked unconscious. Shrugging, Ryan was about to burst out the doors, but he quickly reached for a bottle of Irish spring water. His two brothers gave him a look of approval, and Ryan pointed at the name and logo of the pub. The logo was of a lion, and the name said "Owned by, Connor Quinn." Their father. With a goofy grin, he tried to confidently walk out onto the street. Ryan had a date with the O' Donnelly's, who he owed money to. The problem was, he hadn't come up with all the money he needed. Ten thousand dollars. How was he going to get out of this one?

Gambling was a bad habit, one that he had began to take up. He had nothing better to do, and betting on a variety of things was fun. Politics, sports, and everything in between was there, all hanging in the balance of uncertainty. Even with all the risks of anger, and possibly death, Ryan wasn't too worried. He had the heart of a lion. Irish blood, the blood that could only come from someone with a bright future. Drinking the spring water, he lifted the bottle and chugged the rest of the water. Palms sweaty, he almost wished he was on a date, but he had a date with destiny. With a sigh, he remembered that he was going to be fine. He was a Quinn. Besides, what could go wrong?

Ryan was tied up. Things were going wrong. His legs were tied up, and luckily, his mouth wasn't tied up. So he was trying to work his charm. The O' Donnelly's place looked similar to the Celtic Lion, but here there was a girl. So, of course, he was going to get himself into even more trouble.

"Hello there. Would you like to come over here and give me a dance? I like Irish women." He said, his full Irish accent showing off. Needless to say, this didn't go well, because the twenty-something year old Martin O' Donnelly's marched over and gave a harsh slap to Ryan. And after that, he spat in Ryan's face. When I get out of here, I'm going to make sure that I get some action with that girl, he thought angrily. Maybe was provoking Martin to test the thought that he had a bright future--that he was going to survive no matter what obstacle stood in the way. So far, things weren't looking good. He had reassured his brothers time and time that he was going to be allright, but he had no backup plan. Now, it was just him and Martin sent the other guards away. With a confident look in his eyes, Martin swung a punch at Ryan, causing a lot of pain, a lot.

"You don't have my money, huh? What about now?" Martin said, coolly taking another swing, one that made Ryan cringe in pain.

"Allright, I have it." Ryan said, trying to buy some time to think of a plan. Not going so well.

"Give it here, Ryan. Or I'm going to keep punching you, then maybe kill you, then get the money from your brothers."

"I have it. I have it. I have some delicious spring water to fulfill your thirst-crunching needs!" He said, adding a wink at the end of the sentence. Martin sighed, then took another strong punch on Ryan. To his surprise, Martin suddenly took out a gun. A revolver. Moving it slowly, he pointed the gun so that a shot would go to Ryan's head. What was he going to do? Before he realized it, it came to him that he was praying to God. As far as he knew, he didn't believe in God. Why was he praying? If I come out this alive, I promise that I'll make a difference, he thought to himself. Why not give it one more go? Trying to break free from the ties that tied him to the chair in the middle of the room, he gave all his strength to break out. To his shock, he easily burst out of the chair, and quickly ran over to Martin. At the last second, he pushed him, and for some reason, Martin flew all the way across the room.

What just happened? Moving his hands up close to his eyes, he examined them. They looked the same as always, but something had changed. In an instant, he had broken free and been able to knock someone unconscious. Ryan didn't dare to breathe, because his mind was trying to figure out a plausible explanation. Before he could, Martin's brothers and the brother's friends walked in. There were about seven people, all walking in the room with furious looks on their faces. Taking a deep breath, Ryan knew that his life was hanging in the balance.


	3. Fireworks, part three

"Hey you." Gregory greeted, holding his picnic basket. The red cloth disguised all the food he had brought. Beside him, he could hear his brother and all his friends playing around. Kathryn was standing on grass, smiling when she heard Gregory. Gregory gulped, trying to ignore the fact that she was so pretty. From her wavy jet black hair, ocean blue eyes, and long eyelashes, she looked just like Gregory had imagined she would on this night. She was wearing a poodle skirt, the exact thing he had jokingly dared her to wear. Still, he couldn't predict that she would look so great in it. Too many thoughts were trying to fill themselves in his head. Taking out a blanket so they could sit and face the house where his brothers were horsing around, he tried to coolly sit down. 

"I wore it." She said casually, smiling, her voice reminding Gregory exactly what he missed the most. He shined a grin, taking out some food for her. It wasn't that well of a picnic basket, but it was the best he could up with it. There were some Twizzlers, nachos, some canned sodas, and a sandwich. Not the best, but not the worst meal.

"It's all yours." He said, showing off his display of food.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." She said, tucking a stray hair back.

"I wanted to."

"Oh my, this food looks really good. Any girl would love this."

"As long as I don't have to cook any fancy meals, we are good. I think I would blow up the house." Gregory said, taking out a sandwich and eating a bite. She was eating, and he was, looking at a bunch of kids.

"Remind you of us? Always playing around outside?" Kathryn said warmly.

"Just like us. Sometimes I wish it was that simple, just my best friend and I running around outdoors as kids. Nothing better."

"Well, you do have me as a girlfriend, that makes your life just about perfect." She joked.

"You're good with the jokes, I have to say." Pausing, he finally embraced the thoughts that were haunting him. "I can tell you anything right?"

"Yes." She said, gobbling one of the sandwiches he made. It was now or never, all of his butterflies were out, but he managed to choke them away.

"I traveled to the future." Gregory admitted, his heart leaping. The truth was out.

-----

With a cocky smile, Ryan decided to do the only thing that he could do well. Talk. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he had somewhat of an attitude. So when he wiped out an enemy about to shoot him, he suddenly got a little more arrogant.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. There's something you don't know. I'm not who you think I am." Ryan confessed.

"Is that some kind of riddle?" Someone said, probably a friend of the O'Donnelly's.

"You are Ryan Quinn right?" Another asked.

"Yes--well-- Yeah! Shh! That's not the point!" Ryan said, throwing a mini temper-tantrum. Unfortunately, the Donnelly's and their buddies still kept coming at him. Joy, he thought. Still, why not put his faith to the test?

"The thing you don't know about me. Want to know the truth? I'm the Hulk." He said, sounding incredibly lame. "No, he's too ugly. I'm Green Lantern. No, I don't really like wearing rings. Batman! Nah, bats are freaky lookin'." Ryan said, reasoning with himself.

"Are you done?" One of the Donnelly's quizzed.

"No! Okay, let's see. Flash, no, I don't like yellow. There's Superman. No, I don't like capes. Damn!"

"Are you done yet?"

"Captain America! No, I live in Ireland. Damn! Spiderman! There we go! No, I have wet nightmares about falling from heights. Damn!"

"God this kid is so annoying! Let's beat him up!" One Donnelly spoke.

"The point is, I'm a superhero! I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ryan stated, posing confidently. Of course, they didn't listen, and one of the goons charged at Ryan.

"Ka pow!" Ryan said, dodging it and punching one with a right uppercut. Surprisingly, he went again, across the room and unconscious. This thing is sweet, he thought.

"What was that?"

"The question is, what wasn't that?" Ryan said, a goofy look on his face and pointing at the brother asking. The people in the room looked scared-- very scared. Not too bad for someone just finding about their super strength, he thought. A job well done.

"G-g-get out of here!" Another brother staggered. Ryan considered it.

"As long as you forget about the money I owe, refer to me as "The Sexy One", and give me the number of your sister." Ryan offered.

"My sister, man?"

"Yes, you're sister. Now give me the number before I go taibo or give you some more of my ass-kicking powers. Bottom line, I'm kicking ass'n taking names. Chow for now!" Ryan said, taking the number of the O' Donnelly sister. Walking out into the night air, he knew that something had changed. Now, the things on his mind were about his power. Where did it come from? Why now? Why was he suddenly given these abilities? But he shrugged the thoughts off and focused on one task. Taking care of his brothers, that's all that mattered.

-----

(PARIS, FLORIDA)

Jennifer Wilson lazily stretched out on the sand. It was turning out to be a steamy afternoon, and after a long and boring school day, she just wanted to relax. By her side was her favorite gossip friend, Mariah. They were running through their favorite guys at Paris High School. While they were doing that, they were sun tanning, watching their boyfriends in the water, and listening to MP3 players. Practically the greatest things in the world, right?

"I totally saw you making out with Nick Brown after school today." Mariah said, hoping to get the total scoop. Jennifer took off her sunglasses, revealing her dark brown eyes. The sun shined on her blonde hair, making her the center attention from most guys. Sighing, Jennifer offered a reply.

"It was just a one time thing, I'm still with Peter. For now." She said, answering the question but yet not.

"For now?"

"I was going to ditch Peter for Nick, but he's been acting strange lately. I don't really care. You're not going to tell Peter are you?"

"No." Mariah said, sounding like she didn't entirely mean it. Jennifer put her sunglasses on, letting her mind wonder for awhile. Things had been a blur lately. One day she had lived in Texas, then her mother had died. Her father decided that a fresh start what was needed. They moved to a relatively big town, Paris in Florida. She wanted to blend in so much, that she adopted the ways of all the popular girls. Listening to Paris Hilton screech, sun tanning constantly, dating jocks, gossiping, and trying to make the cheerleading team. None of this who she really was. Now she had tried to befriend only the popular people and leave the rest in the dust. She reached for the closet locket she had in her purse.

She hadn't ever looked in it since she moved. It had been too hard. Was she ready to? Right as she reached for it, she heard a scream come from the water. Her eyes searched for a lifeguard, but the lifeguard was gone. Probably hitting on guys. For some reason, her mind told her to race in the water and save whoever was drowning. Everyone else was sleeping or resting, while the others just looked around waiting for someone else to take care of it. Jennifer put back the locket into her purse, then rushed into the water. All her thoughts were erased, and left into this one thing.

With all her strength, she reached and brought the person up from under the water. It was a little boy. Swimming to the shore of the beach, she place him on the sand, a crowd beginning to stir. Attempting CPR wasn't her favorite thing to do, but she gave it her best try. There was no pulse after she attempted it. Jennifer tried again, but still no luck. Please, I can't lose another person, she thought. All of her hidden emotions were beginning to surface. Suddenly, the hands that were on his chest began to feel different. They were warm, but she felt safe, like this was supposed to happen. Her expression was shock, but then her hands returned to the normal temperature. The little boy's eyes slowly opened, and she knew that he was perfectly well. Tears of joy were falling down her cheeks, knowing that she had gotten a blessing.

-----

Alexis removed her hands from her ears, finally adjusting to the siren blare. How troublesome, she thought. This wasn't a part of the plan, but it might make her job easier. All the attention would be given to whoever else broke in. The question was though: who broke in? She turned away from her curiosity, trying to focus on this one job. The big one.

Sighing, she decided to see if her ability would really and truly work. Focusing on the glass of a word-famous emerald, she tried with all her concentration to shatter it. It easily shattered. How she got such a power was a mystery, but she was glad to have it. Now was the fun part. Lasers were guarding the emerald. Once again focusing, she concentrated on the amazing emerald. No wonder it's so famous, she thought. The emerald didn't move at first, but then slowly gravitated upwards, dodging the lasers easily with some directional help from Alexis.

With a cocky smile, she tucked the emerald into her backpack. After changing back into her dress, she toured out, faking a shocked and horrified reaction to the thievery of the day. It was unclear if this person was trying to get her into trouble-- but all it did was send more people into a frenzy. However, soon, the police would arrive. That would not be a fun sight. Taking the emerald, she waved goodbye to all the fancy business people. See you soon, she thought-- when I steal from you. Which reminded her, these high heels were just as uncomfortable as they had ever been. Probably even more.

She wanted to be in a hot tub very soon. Finally reaching the Porsche, she took a sigh of relief. It wasn't easy being a thief sometimes. Turning on the Porsche, she daydreamed about the relaxing massage she'd have, the hot tub she'd be in, the movies she'd enjoy. Ah, the good life. Out of nowhere, a boy appeared out of thin air in the sit next to her.

"Hi there!" He said. Okay, so he wasn't a boy. He looked like a high-schooler, but most definitely a freshman. I hate kids, she thought.

"Who the hell are you?" She said, clear distress in her voice. What was going on?

"Your new best friend." He answered, reminding her of herself, always with the sarcastic and seductive tones. Things were changing too fast, she thought. Then she bit her lip.

-----

"You traveled to the future?" Kathryn repeated, her eyes growing bigger. The truth was the only thing Gregory had the energy to give. That was the truth.

"I did. I know this is unbelievable, but, I swear it happened. I swear to God." Gregory said, his hazel eyes eye to eye with Kathryn's blue eyes.

"It happened a few days ago. I was just daydreaming to myself, and out of nowhere I was in a place so much different. The future."

"You--traveled to the future too?" Gregory stumbled. This was so unbelievable, so amazing.

"I did." She said, her eyes glistening. "I was in New York City. Want to know the first thing I did?" She asked, a weak smile on her face.

"What?"

"After walking around, so shocked for the longest time, I went to a bookstore. To see if you had become a famous writer."

"You did?" Gregory asked, emotion in his voice.

"You always say that you'll never make it. You can be a writer. But, I didn't have time to find your name, I was back here within minutes."

"Oh my god."

"I did come across something though. It was in the new release section. I figured you could read it to Jaime, he would love it." She said, going to her car and bringing him the book. _Oh, The Places You'll Go_ by Dr. Seuss. The book cover did look exactly like something Jaime would love. Everything was coming together. But why were his memories of her making him go through time? Why was she going through time in the first place? The questions harnessed themselves in his head. The next thing he said was something he had no idea he was going to spurt out.

"I love you." He wound up saying. Nothing about time traveling or why they were having this happen to them. But something he had originally wanted to say.

"I love you too." She answered back, and before either one could realize it, they had moved their heads into a kiss. The first time they had ever kissed. The first time Gregory had kissed anyone other than his pillow. As this passionate kiss and unforgettable moment, unfolded, firecrackers went up to the sky. His brother, his brothers goofy-looking friends, and even his parents were making fireworks. Kathryn blushed, while Gregory tried to pretend that he was as macho as he wanted to be.

"Happy New Year!" His brother shouted into the air, as more fireworks blasted to the sky. Shrugging, Gregory gave up being humiliated and kissed his childhood best friend. This was a perfect moment.


	4. Fireworks, part four

Approaching the farm, a dark figure trailed into the grass. Blending into the night, the figure looked on. The two teenagers couldn't see him, but he could see them. They were looking at a bunch of kids. The figure looked afar with eyes that showed so many things: envy, jealousy, and bitterness.

You're off to great places! Today is your day! You're mountain is waiting!

It was after midnight, and just as he promised. Gregory was there at the foot of Jaime's bed, reading him the story.

"Oh, the places you'll go! You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great heights! You'll join the great high fliers, who soar to high heights." Gregory read, looking at his brother. Fast asleep. He had read the book quietly, anticipating that he would fall asleep at any moment. He stood there, looking at his kid brother.

"Love you, Jaime." Gregory said, turning off the light. Moments later, in his own room, he was finishing the last few pages of the story. So much seem to apply to his current situation. In one epiphany, he knew what he had to do. There was a reason for everything, everything was connected. This is part of me, he thought. He wanted with all his heart to stay, but he had to control his power before it controlled him. But he had to do it. For everyone important in his life.

Focusing on the memory of kissing Kathryn with the fireworks going off, he shut his eyes. In the next moment, he was back in New York. But things were different, things were so much different. Gregory looked up at the sky, which was pitch black. There was no electricity, and the streets were abandoned. What caused all this? Picking up a newspaper, the date was _May 14th, 2009_. The top headline read _"Worst Global World War in history-- the total deal toll: 95 of the world's population dead"_. Gregory's body froze, and all he could think about was the future. This was the future.

So..get on your way! -Dr. Seuss

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

On the next chapter of Heroes: New Beginnings, Gregory makes the decision that he must find a way to stop the catastrophic future, but must find a way to tell Kathryn what he has planned. Meanwhile, Ryan's live becomes endangered, a determined scientist makes a breakthrough in his search to find people with abilities, Joshua's power evolves, and Alexis must decide if she can trust the new individual in her life.


	5. Chapter Two, Eclipse

_Author's Note: First off, for anyone who has kept reading this far, I have to thank you. I mean, the way I see things, writing online stories are one of the most difficult things to write. The reason why is because anyone at anytime can just close it out, and people seem to have less patience then when they are sitting down and reading a story on the couch or something. This story won't be perfect, but I'm just writing at my own pace and trying to keep the answers and questions coming, because that's what makes a great story. So, if you're still reading this, thank you. This story may go "fast", but I think it's just because I want to keep everyone intrested, and theres so many ideas that I have that I just keep putting them out there. Enjoy the next chapter of Heroes: New Beginnings, I hope you'll enjoy it._

Previously on Heroes: New Beginnings, ordinary people have been discovering extraordinary abilities. The 1950's farmboy has discovered that his girlfriend can travel through time. A social outcast found out that he can draw the future. The girl trying to blend into the crowd found out that she can heal and save peoples lives. The unstoppable thief encountered someone new with abilities. The Irishman discovered that he has super human strength, but his only concern was keeping his brothers safe. In the final moments, the mild-mannered farmboy used his memories to travel in time to the future, where a global world war has destroyed nearly all of the worlds population.

-----

"Why am I writing this? That is a question I am thinking about. The truth is, I could very well be wasting my time. This is a collection of my thoughts, most of them will be concentrating on my deepest inner thoughts. It is my highest hopes that one of these quotes will guide me on my journey. More importantly, I hope that it helps you. Rather one of my colleagues find this after I am gone, or I bring it to find a shed of light in a place of darkness, this is for whatever reason.

My name is Mohinder Suresh. I have discovered people with extraordinary abilities. They are out there. Some could help save the world, some could plummet it down. It is my job to do my part and help others who need me. I need to tell them how to control their abilities, to find their place in society, to find themselves. Sometimes we aren't truly tested until we find ourselves in the harshest of situations. The nightmares that we fear. It is those times we treasure the blessings we have had, and face a new beginning in ourselves."

Gregory's body was still frozen. He read the newspaper headline again, "Worst global world war in history- the total death toll: 95 of the world's population dead." In horror, he couldn't move a muscle. How could this be the future? The street which was so populated the last time he had been there was totally abandoned, there was litter everywhere, and objects sprawled across the road. But still, there were no people around. The population that had seemed to sparse, that seemed to be having a surplus had been nearly extinct. The thought was horrifying. He couldn't control his power, and it had brought him to one of the worst sights he had ever seen. He was all alone. Glancing up at the dark sky, he saw the sun. Or what was left of it. It was nearly black; most of it was covered in black. It looked just like an eclipse, which was supposed to be rare. Nothing made sense anymore.

-----

_HEROES: NEW BEGINNINGS _

_CHAPTER TWO: "ECLIPSE"_

"Hi there."

"Who the hell are you?" Alexis Jade asked to the stranger who had suddenly appeared in her Porsche out of nowhere. What a way to end this night that hadn't gone perfectly as planned.

"Your new best friend." The stranger answered, looking completely at ease and sharing a smug look that reminded her of herself. He looked like he was fifteen. What was a smart allick kid like him doing here? He didn't exactly look harmless with his sharp eyebrows, childish grin, black hair that was going every which way, and big brown eyes.

"Shouldn't you be getting potty trained or something?" Alexis said sharply, trying to annoy this intruder so he left.

"Nice Porsche. Newest model, huh? I like it. Maybe in a few months, I can give this baby a drive." He said, trying to perhaps seduce her.

"Shutup."

"What? I was talking about the car. I pro--well, you can interpret it however you want." He said, tossing in an insincere wink.

"Why exactly are you here? Can I ask you that? And who are you? Not to mention the fact you appeared out of thin air in my car." She was becoming annoyed. The pampering she wanted was being sidelined by some teenage pimple popper. She wasn't enjoying this at all. But there was something more about this guy that rubbed her the wrong way.

"Well, you want the truth? I'm a magician. That's all there is to it. Why am I here? You are one fine-looking babe. Very seductive work back there with the guard. I likey." He said excitingly. This kid knew too much for his own good. She could be in grave danger already.

"Can you like, leave, or something? Go watch MTV or whatever you lame kids to these days." She said, repulsed.

"What's your bra size?" The stranger asked, unable to resist throwing a smile at her. She was about to punch him on the arm but he vanished in thin air. Then he reappeared.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! And if I wasn't, blame puberty. I could be bulging in a few places though, just disregard that." With that said by the kid, Alexis started to growl.

"I really don't like you."

"You want to know my name? Fine. It's Jason. My name is Jason Adams, are you happy? And before you use your telekinesis on me, there's something you should know. I'm your new partner." Jason said, and he finally quit talking. With that being said, Alexis was at a lost for words. Her boss had given her a partner? What was next? And to make it worse-- a perverted teenager for a partner? If anyone would look at her face, they would see a lot of scorn right now. Giving an angry and dirty look to her new partner, she turned on the porsche and accelerated it immediately. She was most obviously speeding. She wanted to get home and away from it all.

-----

Joshua place his glasses back on and noticed that things were different. A lot different, to be honest. There were drawings all over the floor, some he didn't even recall drawing. There were so many sketches now. Some were of Retroman, the 1950's hero that he had been drawing so much, but there were others. There were other people, people he had never met before. One showed what looked like a twenty year old sitting in an Irish pub, entering and being welcomed by his brothers.

One was of the girl that had been kissing Retroman, showing her with eyes that looked like they were about to cry. Then there were a few sketches of Retroman. One showed him looking up at the sky, which had a blotted sun in it. Another showed him pretending to be perfectly happy at some performance, even though he had a far-away look in his eyes. The newest one showed Retroman with his head looking down, with all hope gone. What did all of this mean?

When he draw all of this? This didn't add up. There were even more drawings near his dresser drawer. Had he done this in his sleep without knowing it? Then there were two drawings that were clear. The first was a drawing of an attractive girl at the beach, her arms on a little boy who seemed to be drawing. This was someone he knew. On the second drawing, she was holding a locket, the locket of someone that he knew. Jennifer. Did she have an ability? Hurrying to get dressed, he put on a shirt that had a picture of the Superman logo. He would need all the courage he could get. Confronting someone about having supernatural powers. What a way to start the day, he thought, grabbing his backpack.

-----

(MADRAS, INDIA)

Chris Michaels clacked his laptop in frustration. This had been more and more common. The frustration had cost him many nights of sleep as of late. He had been twisting and turning several times a night. He had been emailing Mohinder Suresh, his hero, for several days now, there was no response. What was a regular American thirty year old doing in India? It was a daunting question. After losing his typical work cubicle job, he had been walking down the streets of South Carolina. Feeling lonely and depressed, he had gone into a bookstore to get some coffee. On his way out of the bookstore, a book had caught his eye. It was by Mohinder's father, Chandra, about evolution. He believed that abilities were beginning to emerge. They were evolved humans. The idea interested Chris so much, he had followed his real life's passion. Science.

It seemed out of nowhere, but he flew to India when he heard that his son, Mohinder, was making a ground-breaking session about people with powers. After a session, Chris had gotten the chance to talk to Mohinder. He was so envious of him. They had later become friends, sometimes chatting over lunch or before a lecture. Mohinder had left back to America, but for some reason, Chris had stayed. Soon enough, he almost seemed to blend in. Now, he was trying to find the DNA patterns of those with abilities. It wasn't going so well. Without Mohinder's guidance, he was astray. There was no time to lose. There was one thing Mohinder had given before he had left most recently. A notebook of quotes, quotes that maybe would give him the answers he wanted. There was more information in it, but the quotes spoke true meaning into all of his work. The vitalness of locating people with abilities. Would there ever be a breakthrough?

-----

Ryan Quinn walked into The Celtic Lion, well; he actually attempted to dance into it. He had the most triumphant look on his face. Why wouldn't he? Having extra strength, not owing money, and not being dead all made him happy. His brothers clapped lazily, half asleep and in a drunken state.

"Hold your applause." Ryan said, glowing from ear to ear. They easily obliged. Hard to believe that it was still the same day that he had left his brothers in charge of the Celtic Lion. It seemed like a lifetime. It had practically been one. But he had finally gotten out of trouble, right? He was going to have a few alcohol drinks tonight, he thought dreamily. Plus, this was in a way a restaurant too--so there was some good food. But, all he wanted to do was have a few drinks and watch his brothers mope around and be stupid. Very amusing. He was about to sit down, but there was a knock at the door. Why was someone knocking if the whole place was closed?

The next moments flashed through his mind in a blur. With one motion, he looked at the door with the pitter-patter of someone knocking. Then, a kick brought the restaurant door down. Ryan got in position to fight these unknown assailants, but was shot before he could catch them. Right as he ran to attack the intruders, he fell to the ground. He couldn't think anymore. His brothers would think it was a hallucination, but this was happening. He couldn't fight anymore-- his body was slipping into unconsciousness. With one final breath, he gave a weak smile to his brothers. The next moment, there was nothing but black.

-----

This was the future? It couldn't be. It must be a nightmare. Gregory walked in a clear daze, trying to wish that this wasn't the future. But, this was so much more vivid than a dream. This was an apocalyptic future. Worse than the Cold War, this was going to leave almost all of the world's population dead. The thought couldn't leave his mind. There's still time to get out of here, he thought. Closing his eyes and clinching to the memory of Kathryn with his entire mind, he focused on his home in the 1950's. His farm. For an extra measure, he closed his eyes. He opened them slowly, and to his surprise, he was back to where he belonged. At home. For once, his power had worked perfectly.

Maybe the trick was to focus on both a memory and the destination you want to go to. Hurrying into the house, he tip-toed back to his room. There he could think. Sitting in his room with the lamp on, he looked at a stray baseball in his room. Sitting on his bed, he tossed the baseball to himself, throwing it straight up and catching it. How could so much destruction happen? It had been stupid in the first place. Why did he foolishly test his ability? At least know he knew that thinking about a memory of Kathryn activated his time-traveling power. What a thought that was. There was no denying how odd this day had been. From finally saying that he loved his childhood best friend, finding out he had powers, and learning that the world would be in chaos in the future.

There must be a way to stop this, he thought. Why else would he be drawn there? He wanted to talk to Kathryn about this, but he had to keep this to himself. He didn't want to worry anyone else. This was his fight alone. Before he could think more, his eyes began to close. He didn't have any strength to stop them. His day was finally over.


	6. Eclipse, part two

With all his drawings in his backpack, Joshua couldn't wait till he could gander at the sketches again. Although he loved learning, he was hardly paying attention at all to any of his classes. What if these people had powers like him? All he wanted was not to be alone. This ability was great, but at the same time it made him nervous. If anyone found out he would be locked up and experimented on. Just like in all of the comics. But most of all, he wanted to talk to Jennifer, to find out if she really was like him. The first day of school, he had seen her holding a locket. From then on, she had never worn it. It seemed like she had blended into the cool crowd to avoid being an outcast.

At lunch, Joshua sat at his usual table, sitting alone. He didn't mind, he usually read comics at this time. But lately he had used it to try to decipher the cryptic drawings. They had to mean something. Today, he waited for Jennifer to pass by his lunch table. Taking out his lunch bag, he found the usual assortment of food: a sandwich, fruits, and vegetables. At least his usual lunch. Seeing Jennifer, he tried to recover his thoughts.

"Um, Jennifer, can I like, uh- see- like um, talk to you?" Joshua said, bumbling around in speech just like he usually did. Jennifer looked around, glancing at her table full of cheerleaders and all the jocks. Feeling their eyes on her, Joshua could tell that he was about to be disappointed.

"Can it wait till later?" She asked, looking back and forth like every student in the cafeteria was looking at her.

"No--I don't think so, this is important, I mean--" Joshua said, knowing that her mind was already made up. She shined him one last blank look, then left. Things weren't going well. Joshua looked through his drawings, specifically at the one of her. The girl with the locket. With a sigh, he wished that he wasn't so-- nerdy. And unpopular. And just a failure all around. With a sigh, he left the cafeteria lunchroom, with full intention to get away from school.

-----

Alexis finally was at peace. She was taking a very warm shower, enjoying the hot water on her tired body. Things were getting away from her, she had been gotten completely off guard for the first time in so long. Luckily, when she got home, she demanded the little twerp with powers leave. Maybe he really was a magician. It would explain most of these things. What if her boss was playing a prank on her? That was probably it. Send some magician with knowledge of my ability to rattle me up. Could be a test.

There were many logical explanations, but she just focused on the warmth that the hot water was giving to her body. Now, she could go to bed and enjoy all of her wealth. Time to take a rather lengthy vacation, she thought. I need one. Shutting off the water, she yawned to herself. Reaching for a towel, she found it rather easily. Her eyes were closed, and it felt like the towel had stuck itself in front of her.

"Thanks." She thought, not even thinking fully. Then she saw that this wasn't supposed to be happening. Her unwanted guest had handed her a towel. On the top of her lungs, she let out a scream that would send any organism with ears fleeing in horror.

"I wish I could scream like that." Jason said, with a horribly guilty look on his face.

"I'm going to kill you!" She said, hissing at the intruder. She was tired of this, and she was going to make him wish that he wasn't some lame magician.

"I can explain all this. See, like, I heard you were rich. And I wanted to see your apartment, you know, so I figured why not do it while you're showering? Get some popcorn, watch some television with surround sound, live the fancy life. Just so happened, I had to go to the restroom. I closed my eyes! I closed my eyes even when I handed you the towel. Let me tell you, that's more than many a guy would. You should be thanking me."

"For breaking into my apartment without asking? Or making inappropriate jokes about sex? Or coming in while I'm naked in the shower?"

"Okay, I will admit that it looks bad. Can't we all just get along? I'm trying here. I just wanted to be in the presence of a special woman in my life named Alexis. With a killer booty." He said, testing the boundaries.

"I'm going to kill you."

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Jason said, sprinting out of the apartment as fast as his feet could go. Alexis shut the door as hard as she could, deciding that she should go to bed right now. Her body could barley stand up straight, and she needed to have full rest so she could get Jason back. Still, she made sure that the bathroom door was locked as she changed into her pajamas. Not to mention she was still trying to put together how a magician could turn himself invisible.

-----

Gregory tried to pretend like nothing had ever happened. He was still doing his daily routine that he had done for so many years straight. Taking care of the farm. His father was getting older, and even though he knew his father could handle it, it gave him a chance to try and think about all that had gone on. He was trying to figure out what could make a global war happen. What could it be? There were two sides in his mind: one that said he should stay here where he belonged and he chose to ignore the second option. Hearing footsteps, he tried to act normally. He tossed some hay, and turned his attention to the guest. His best friend.

"Hey, best friend." Gary said, strolling in as he had so many times. Gary had been his best friend for a few months. It seemed like a short time, but they had a lot in common. They both showed interest in Elvis, they both wanted lives that meant something, and they both were obsessed with girls. Gary was dressed a lot different than Gregory-- he had a leather jacket and greased black hair. Still, there was no denying the look on his friends face. One of complacency.

"What's this I hear about you and the all-American girl smooching?" Gary asked, giving a playful punch on Gregory.

"Where did you hear about that?" Gregory answered, blushing. Blushing would be a mild way of putting it.

"All of Jaime's friends were buzzing about. I'm sure Jaime was telling a few people too. What a way to start the new year."

"I suppose so. Happy New Year. We should toast it tonight, y' know? Just you and me." Gregory suggested. His brother would probably be horsing around with his friends, so it was a perfect time to have a get-together with his buddy. And make a toast to the new year.

"Sounds very cool. I'll see you then. Keep the farm work going." He joked, showing a simple grin. Gregory nodded, going back to the cruel reality that was lurking beneath the surface. He couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He was going to have a toast with his best friend, but he needed to make a call. It was to Kathryn, in hopes of finding a way to tell her about the future, to tell her what he needed to do. A light bulb went off in his head-- he knew exactly how to do it.

-----

Chris heard a knock on the door, and with a sigh, he expected it, hoping it wouldn't be anyone who would want to talk-- he wanted to focus on the way of finding people with abilities. Mohinder said that his father had made a list, but there were only a few names. In his mind, he knew that there were more people out there waiting. One of Mohinder's quotes speculated that they were everywhere around the world. So far, he hadn't seen any person out of the ordinary. Waking himself from his hopeless ranting in his head, he cracked open the door of his messy apartment that had papers sprawled about. Opening the door, he put on a tired and weak glance.

"Hello?" He said, rubbing his eyes before looking.

"Um--hi." The stranger said. Immediately, Chris sent his full attention to her. It was very often he got a visitor--especially a woman visitor. But he didn't know who she was. She looked like a model--and to make matters worse, at least for him, she looked like she was his age, early thirties. To make matters even worse, she was pretty. Golden skin, curly brown hair, eyes that made him uncomfortable. But then again, most women made him uncomfortable these days.

"What are you doing here?" Chris blurted out, and immediately knew that he had said the wrong thing. His tiredness wasn't having a good toll on his moods.

"I'm sorry, um, I talked to someone here and they said to come see you." She said, sounding puzzled and confused.

"What can I help you with?"

"I came here to talk with Mohinder Suresh, but when I got hear I found out he was gone. Err--but the people who I talked to said you were a friend of his."

"Yes, colleagues, I suppose. But you didn't answer my question, what can I help you with?"

"What is your name?" She said, diverting the question.

"Chris. Chris Michaels, what's yours?" He said dully.

"Natalie, Natalie Martinez. I know you're wondering why exactly I'm here. Why I showed up out of the blue, right?"

"It was on my mind." Chris said, his interest beginning to be peaked.

"Well, Chris, I think I can help you." This was the first sentence that had excited Chris. He wasn't sure why. But there was a part of him that knew she was important somehow. At first, he wanted to close the door on her, but now he saw something new. Something that was intriguing. He let her in the door, then sat down to listen to what she had to say.

-----

Jason stood in the hallway, recollecting his thoughts. He could hear Alexis snoring loudly. Chuckling, he made a mental note for use in the future. He knew as much as Alexis pretended to hate him, that she enjoyed his company. From everything he knew, she was a loner, she had no friends, no family around, no one. So in a way, he was glad to provide company to her. He was glad that things were starting to look up. Well, for him anyway.

He had managed to in a way befriend her, and his next phase was to convince her that there were really people out there with powers like her. It wasn't going to be easy, considering she went a long with the foolish idea that he was a magician. She was probably too tightly-wound to believe him right now, but she would. Hearing a vibration in his coat, he fidgeted out his cell phone. The number just said 'private', and he knew exactly who it was.

"Hello?" Jason said, playing dumb. He was too much of a jokester for his own good.

"You know who this is. How is she doing?" The person on the phone asked.

"Excellent, just like planned. I'm going to work on to the next part of my job."

"Make sure you do this right. There will be consequences if you fail."

"I know." He said, pausing. "I'll expect a call from you tomorrow." Jason said, with mixed emotions.

"Sounds good. Do this right." The voice said on the other line, hanging up. Jason stood on the hall, wondering how long this was going to last. Plus, what would be the consequences if he did fail? With a shrug, he prepared for the next part of his job. He listened her snoring loudly and smiled. It was the one thing that could make him feel better.

-----

Kathryn Taylor looked at herself in the mirror. Things had changed in a matter of weeks. Well, more than they had in awhile. Her biggest wish had come true, she and her best friend had finally said the words that they wanted to say for so long. That they loved each other. Things had been going so fast, it was good that one good thing was coming out of it. She could still picture the night last night, it was perfect. Fireworks, a picnic, a new year. It was perfect. Her life, on the other hand wasn't.

Gregory would never have noticed, but she had changed. She always pretended like nothing bothered her around him, but the truth was that her life wasn't perfect all. For one thing, her family was walking on egg shells around her. That was a long story, and she didn't care to think about it any longer. And her mind almost wandered to the biggest thing that had changed her life. It was the worst thing that had happened in her life, and she was about to start tearing up about it, even though she hadn't even began fully thinking about it again. She had done that often, started to cry at random times each day. Her life had become unbalanced, and she didn't know what to do. Everything was not perfect. Just as she truly began to cry, her mother came into her room.

"Kathryn? Gregory is on the phone for you." Her mother said, avoiding eye contact with Kathryn. She expected as much. She avoided looking at her mother too, and she took off into the hallway. The both looked so much alike, she knew that looking at her mother was nearly like looking in a mirror. And she could barely look at herself. She knew her family was downstairs, staring at her, so she just ignored them and picked up the phone, avoiding eye contact with them also.

"Hey, Greg." She said, weakly, trying to regain her composure.

"Hey, is this a bad time? You sound-- like-- sick or something." Gregory said, picking up on the smallest of difference in her voice.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry. What made you call me? Did you get tickets to an Elvis show or something?"

"It's funny you should say that." Gregory said, and Kathryn knew that his eyes were lighting up at the other end.

"I hope this isn't where you expect me to come over and dance to some Elvis songs on your record player. I thought we agreed not to dance anywhere."

"I'm with you on that. And for the record, the record player has a name. Her name is Barbara." Gregory answered. What a dweeb, she thought.

"Oh, Barbara." She thought, forcing a smile. Something about the way he told the joke didn't sound normal. He sounded different.

"Just come over, I promise it'll be worth your while."

"Okay, fine, as long as you don't cook, I should be okay."

"I'm hanging up now." Gregory said, chuckling to himself. Kathryn wanted to tell him everything, but he didn't sound like he was in the best condition himself. He sounded excited, but at the same time, different. Was all of this really happening so fast? She looked at her family, finally, and didn't speak a word. She just looked at them and then got ready to leave. That's all she wanted, to get away.


	7. Eclipse, part three

"So, I spent the final amount of my life savings coming here." Natalie explained, finishing her story to Chris. Chris's mood had transferred from gloomy to beaming, for the most part. There was something extraordinary about her. Not to mention, she was easy on the eyes. But, Chris wasn't in the mood to drool over her, just to get to know her more.

"Wow. So you came here to talk to me? I hate to say it, but I think you made have made a mistake." He said, hoping she would disagree. And she did.

"No, I don't think so. You're the only one who can understand what's happening to me. I know if I told anyone else that the things happening to me they would call me a freak. But, I know you wouldn't. It's something about you." She said warmly, making Chris feel comfortable.

"I want to think that it's my good looks that make that happen. But, hey. I wouldn't think you are a freak no matter what you can do, I believe that just about anything is possible. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you can do?"

"What's the weather going to be like for the rest of the week?" She asked suddenly. It caught Chris off guard. The pretty stranger had changed the subject again. With a sigh, he thought about it for a moment.

"I think it's going to be mostly cloudy the rest of the week, with a thunderstorm moving in today. Should be in here a few hours, it sure is cloudy enough." He reported.

"What if I told you that it is going to be sunny the rest of the week? No clouds?"

"I would say that there's not a chance." He said, with a small chuckle.

"You're wrong." She said, with a smile that began to form. Closing her eyes, she looked like she was meditating. But, in all actuality, a lot was happening. All Chris could do was look and wonder what was going on. With concentration, the woman gritted her teeth, trying with all her mental might to do whatever she was attempting. Opening her eyes, she smiled once again. Walking over to the window, she motioned for Chris to come. Chris was totally off guard on what was happening. The clouds were moving, and in a matter of seconds, the sun had found its way back where it belonged. The yellow streaks of eyes lit up everything. Chris couldn't say anything, he could only smile in astonishment. His decision to leave his boring job had finally been justified. He had found what he wanted--a breakthrough.

"Just about anything is possible." Natalie said, putting her hand on her shoulder, as they both looked out the window, onto the beginning of a brand new day. A day that was brighter, and had infiniteless possibilities.

-----

With one last throw of hay, Gregory was finally done with his farm work for the day. It was just in time too, because Kathryn was trailing up the gravel pathway to come and see him. Staying there in the loft, he was glad that he could finally tell someone about his powers, and in time, he would tell her about the future that he saw. Kathryn had bags under her eyes, something that Gregory had just noticed. But he took those thoughts out of his mind and remembered this was his oldest and closest friend.

"Hi, Kat." He said, remembering the perfect night that they had last night. It was perfect practically, for the time she was there.

"Hey. What's this I hear about you getting tickets to an Elvis show?" She asked.

"What can I say? I'm the coolest, most romantic guy around." Gregory said, putting on a sly smile.

"Of course."

"Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy. But, please just try it." He said, getting a reassuring nod from Kathryn. "I want you to picture the CBS-Studio TV studio 50 in New York City, and picture what it looks like. The Ed Sullivan Show. And picture Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. All at once."

"This is crazy." Kathryn said, going along with his commands just to joke about later. In his own mind, Gregory pictured the same memory of Kathryn from the previous night, hoping that he was slowly being able to control his power. In his own mind, he pictured the studio and more specifically, Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was one of his greatest memories, and it was the one place he thought he had the strength to tell her about the future. As they both focused on the place, they waited several seconds.

After that, they heard loud clapping around them. Opening their eyes, they knew where they were. They were in the crowd at the Ed Sullivan show. As they looked around, they saw that Elvis was coming out to applause like the teenager had never seen before. Gregory and Kathryn both watched in complete awe. They both were finally carefree, and they both smiled at each other like it was the first time they had ever smiled.

-----

Ryan's eyes slowly opened, and he had no idea what was going on. Slowly peering around him, he saw that he was on the sidewalk in front of the Celtic Lion. He had been unconscious, and he tried to remember what had happened before he got here. He had been attacked. What did they do to him? Checking his body, he found that everything seemed to be okay. He was spotless, and he hadn't been hurt. Why had he been attacked if they hadn't wanted to do anything with him? In frustration, he quickly got up and brushed open the doors to his pub and restaurant. His wallet was still in his pocket, so it couldn't have been many of his rivals wanting money. This made no sense. He could only hope this ability was still there. He believed it was. He could feel it.

He was not in a good mood, and it looked like his brothers had gone home. With an angry sigh, he decided to drink away with troubles with some whiskey. Something in the corner of his eye was bothering him. A piece of paper right by the door. It was small, barely noticeable, but before Ryan could begin the best part of his night, he walked over to the piece of paper. It had a phone number on it, one that he didn't recognized. Above that was a name. The name read: Alexis Jade. With a devious smile, Ryan knew that his attackers had made a careless mistake. It was going to be payback for them. But first, Ryan would drink a few alcoholic beverages. Payback was on his mind, creeping out with every drink that he chugged.

-----

Gregory was happier than he had been in the longest time. It would've been the happiest he'd ever been, but every so often, he could remember the future. The future that was going to be here soon. The future where nearly all the people in the entire world were dead. But, still, he managed to enjoy his date. Elvis, on the Ed Sullivan Show. They were watching America's hero, Elvis. And to make things better, he was actually seeing him live. It was the moment that he had treasured. He was here with his best friend who was also his girlfriend. And they were both experiencing things they never thought they would experience.

Gregory glanced at Elvis, who looked like he always imagined he would in person. He had an acoustic guitar in his hand, blue eyes, slicked black hair, and the stage presence that each person in the audience loved. He had played one gospel song, and the rest were slow-paced ballads. This would be one of the most defining his moments in his life. As Elvis played another slow ballad, he looked into Kathryn's eyes. Ocean blue. And he tried to find the words to tell her.

Nothing would come out, and he could only helplessly stare into her eyes. She turned around at him, and they both looked into each others eyes. For a moment, they only saw each other in that room, and the music seemed to only emphasize the love that they had for each other. They both closed there eyes, and both of their lips touched. For that moment, time nearly stood still. All of the hopes they had been hanging out, all of their fears were still there, but minimized. As they ended their kiss, they stood, looking at each other in the eyes. Eyes that told so many things. Near them, Ed Sullivan had begun talking. Elvis's performance was over, and they had enjoyed every minute. Ed Sullivan had called Elvis over, and the two teenagers knew what was coming.

"I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country; this is a real decent, fine boy." He said, pausing. "We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you." And then he finished, "You're thoroughly all right." He said, as the audience screamed loudly throughout his speech. Gregory and Kathryn both joined in, wishing that they didn't have to go back to where they belonged. Or thought they belonged.

"I love you." She said directly to Gregory, thanking him for both an amazing night and for being there with her.

"I love you too." Gregory said, the butterflies in his stomach still flying around. She had that effect on him, and they both looked at each other, becoming safe in each others eyes.

-----

"What happens when you face the things you fear? Will you overcome them?

Joshua was ready to leave, and his thoughts were becoming negative. He needed to find out what was happening to him, and he needed to know if his life really meant something. Did it? Or was he just drawing figments of his imagination? The doubt stung, but he couldn't deny it any longer. Just as he was going to burst out the doors, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"Joshua." It said, out of breath. It was Jennifer, and she had chased after him. Joshua tried to hide the hope that was growing, but he stopped for now.

"What?" He said weakly, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you. I just--I don't know. I'm sorry." She said, walking over to him. This was the first time in awhile someone had actually talked to him at school that meant anything.

"It's okay. I'm use to it. I'm going to go now." He said, hoping to leave and figure out where his life was going.

"Wait." She said, grabbing his shoulder, practically begging him to stay. Something beckoned to him to do that thing, stay. He couldn't deny it any longer, he wanted to talk to her, and he needed to figure out what it all meant.

"You won't believe me." He said, trying to stay as cynical as he could, even though he knew he was going to have to tell her all that he knew.

"What's going on? What is it you need to tell me?" She said, her light blonde hair shining in the sunlight, making her look even prettier than he had remembered.

"It's more of showing you." Joshua said, reaching into his backpack to pull out all the drawings he had created. It was now or never, and he knew that it was all riding on this. If nothing else, he would be doing it for Retroman. Somehow, she was connected to all of this, and even though he couldn't talk to girls, he had already talked to her more than any other girl. This was his destiny, and he had to show her. So, he pulled out the drawings, and prepared to tell her what he thought it all meant. It all meant that there was something bigger going on, it was all meant to lead into something that tied them all together. For now, that explanation would have to due.


	8. Eclipse, part four

Will you try to find someone to experience it with?

It was a new day, and Alexis's eyes were open. She had slept like a baby, and she felt well-rested. She had the most expensive bed available, and it felt like sleeping on a cloud in a way. It was probably just as comfortable. Turning over to see what time it was, she saw something that wasn't supposed to be there. Jason. On the other side of her bed, sleeping. Just as she had done the night before, she screamed loudly, waking him up unpleasantly, very unpleasantly.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked, trying to sound like he was perfectly innocent.

"Oh, I don't know, you sleeping in my bed? My bed!" She said, sounding both selfish and grossed out.

"I knew it's a little fast, but maybe it's a good thing we slept together." He said, enjoying how most people would interpret it.

"I'm going to kill you." She said, with the tinniest hint of playfulness in her voice. She hadn't expected that at all. Jason, of course, picked up on it.

"So, why we're in here, do you want to make love?" Jason said, letting his full obnoxiousness rip.

"So, why we're in here, do you want me to kick your ass?"

"You didn't answer my question." He said, trying to keep a straight face.

"May I ask why you are sleeping in my bed?" She said, slowly starting to enjoy the exchange of words.

"I needed a place to stay. And I might add this isn't my favorite place to be either, you snored the whole night. And when I say the whole night, I mean the whole night. My ears will never be the same again."

"You're full of it. Do you have any proof of this? I am hurt by your accusation."

"No, but trust me, it's the worst thing I have ever heard." Jason confirmed, shining a childish look. Something in Alexis wanted to ask him to stay, that he was just a kid who needed shelter, and maybe he was just as lonely as she was. And for the first time, she spoke genuinely.

"You can stay here." She said simply, not wanting to say anything else and prove that she actually liked the kid.

"Thank you, but I'm guessing this is the end of us sharing a bed right? Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Now, I can say that I slept with Alexis Jade." He replied, enjoying every minute of this, but his tone changed.

"There are things you should know, things that you have to know." He said, his voice sounding serious for the first time.

"We'll talk later. But for now, I'm going to have to shut you up." Alexis said, grabbing her pillow and playfully attacking Jason with it, and Jason was forced to retaliate with his own pillow. It was the strangest thing, Alexis having a pillow fight with a young teen, and actually inviting him to stay. She was no longer alone.

-----

But what happens when you face your biggest fear? What will you do? What will you do when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?" -Mohinder Suresh

Gregory and Kathryn were back at the farm, and they both captivated, inspired by the events of the night. It was extraordinary, and it was what they both needed. Not to mention, they both were finally learning to use their abilities, to control it.

"I can honestly say that this was one of the best nights of my life." Kathryn said honestly, and Gregory remembered it was just a night ago he was with this girl-- poodle skirt, smile that he couldn't forget.

"Me too." Gregory said, simply, his mind trailing the thoughts so he could speak and say what he'd been waiting for all night. What he had to do.

"Thank you." She said, embracing him in a hug that seemed to last minutes, but was only a few ticking seconds.

"You're welcome."

"Thank you for always being there. And for being my best friend and for everything you've done." Kathryn said, holding him tightly, in a hug like none they had shared before. Raw emotion was in the air, and the moon was lighting the farm, lighting their hearts. It was now or never.

"Kathryn-- I need to tell you something." He said, grasping for the words that were lingering in his head, waiting for him to say them.

"I need to tell you something, too." Kathryn said quickly. What was it she needed to say? It couldn't be more vital than saving the world--could it? Kathryn's eyes were starting to water, and she began to cry. Gregory felt all the emotion that she felt in his heart.

"I need to--" Gregory said, being interrupted by her soon after.

"No, I need to--"

"I have to tell you that--"

"You need to know--"

"This is about us--" Gregory said, trailing off, but he stopped talking. This all had gone so fast, but they were both in the brink of an emotional crisis. He gave her full attention and stopped talking, holding her hand.

"These past couple of days, everything has fallen apart...I've been trying to hide it from you, I thought you shouldn't have to worry about me because I'm a big girl. It's just too much.. I have to tell you, tonight reminded me of that. It's--Gary--he kissed me-- and I don't know if he's the friend that we both thought he was. But worst of all, worst of all, is my family. I thought they loved me so more than anything, but they look at me now like an alien everytime they see me. I can't take anymore, it feels like I have a broken heart.." She said, letting go of his hand. She couldn't take it anymore, she ran away with tears in her eyes.

The world was crashing around Gregory, and there was nothing left. He couldn't feel anything right now. He was right, nothing made sense anymore. He stood, frozen, looking up at the moon, motionless, and he tried to keep it all together. His girlfriend and closest friend was a complete wreck, the friend who he thought was pure was not who he thought he was at all; there was an apocalyptic future, and right now, he had no way of stopping it. He couldn't. He had lost all hope. He looked down at the ground. The weight of the world was on his shoulders.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

On the next "Heroes: New Beginnings", the answers that you don't know are going to be revealed. Gregory confronts the one he thought was his friend, demanding for the answers he desires. Ryan must make a life-altering decision: to confront who kidnapped him, or stay with his brothers. Meanwhile, Chris and Natalie make a ground-breaking discovery which changes everything, a new hero is revealed, Alexis and Jason grow closer, and the chapter ends with the biggest question answered. The farmboy is the future.


	9. Chapter Three, Powerless

Special thanks to: Bob the Robot, Connor Kent, and Darrien for their reviews! Thanks a lot guys! You've kept me from giving up on this thing, lol.

Previously on Heroes: New Beginnings, ordinary people have been discovering extraordinary abilities. The 1950's farmboy saw an apocalyptic future where global world war has killed nearly all of the population. The girl trying to blend into the crowd found out that she can heal lives-- and the outcast who can draw the future drew her. The thief invited the invisible man to live with her, but he has an agenda. The Irishman was kidnapped, but he found the possible name of the person who kidnapped him. The professor found someone who can control the weather. In the final moments, the farmboy learned that his girlfriend was kissed by the friend he thought he could trust. And for you, the question: Are you on the list?

-----

"Every hero faces a dark hour. Every hero at some time feels like giving up. What happens when the hero faces more than a dark hour-- what if the hero faces a dark abyss? Full of betrayal, despair, and shattered hope. That is the darkest hour. There is good in the world, but there also is the darkest evil. What will you do with darkness enveloping you? Will you fight it; try to find the slimmest glimpse of hope?"

The moon was shining, casting a pale light glow into the night. Gregory was still looking at the ground, his thoughts going blank. There wasn't anything left to feel. How was he supposed to help the world if he couldn't formulate a single thought? There wasn't anything to say, to think, he could only use actions. Slowly moving his head upwards toward the sky, he tried to search the stars for answers. There were none. Without really noticing, he steadily walked into the loft. The person who he thought was his friend was in there.

"Hey, it's about time. I started drinking already, hope you don't mind." Gary stated, seeing Gregory enter the loft. There was no smile in response, or witty joke. Tonight was the night they were supposed to share a toast. Instead, this night had turned into one full of hopelessness. The only thing Gregory could muster was raising his fist. With all the strength he had, he swung a punch across his face. It was a desperate move, but he had hoped it would make himself feel better. Now, he could only feel desperation. He just wanted answers.

-----

Nick Brown cannonballed into the crystal clear teal swimming pool. It was his night. Tonight, he was the host of what could be considered the biggest party of the year. Around him, people were chugging down drinks, breaking things both inside and outside, and making out with each other. Tonight, he had all of the people he wanted. There were jocks, cheerleaders, and anyone who managed to find their way into his backyard. Holding a football in his hand, he launched a football across the pool to his number one receiver. Everyone there cheered when he caught it. With a less-than-modest look on his face, Nick grinned to himself in satisfaction.

"Best quarterback ever, you're looking at him!" Nick declared, to a howl from the rest of the group. The stereo was at full blast, and he was sure anyone around the neighborhood could hear the chaos going on. A beach ball glided across the pool, and Nick continued to flirt with all of the girls that he could.

"Look, I'm telling you, this thing with Jennifer, going to be over in a couple of days. Then, I'll be single. Give me a pen, and I'll give you my number. I'm not going to tell you where I'm gonna write it though.."

The girls giggled, buying right into what he said. It wasn't completely true, he wasn't ready for things to be over with Jennifer. Before he knew it, the girls were lip-locking with him. After one kissed him, another moved and kissed him. Nick wasn't going to hide the fact that he was enjoying this. Mostly. There were a few nagging thoughts in the back of his mind. Before he could analyze them, he heard a loud almost screech.

"Nick Kyle Brown!" His mother screamed from the top of her lungs. Uh-oh.

Grounded. That was his future. Being grounded for three months. Closing the door measly, he took a glance at all of his trophies in the trophy case. That was the only thing that almost brought a smile to his face. So, his party had been broken up before it even reached the hour mark. His parents were wealthy, but they didn't really seem to notice that much. He hadn't expected them to come home early--so, now he was in big trouble. He had just got done cleaning the whole mess that the party had created. Staring at his trophies, he wished that he was outside playing football. Being the star quarterback.

But the regrets he had kept nagging at him. Why did he cheat on Jennifer? And there was something else, something else that wouldn't stop bothering him. With a sigh, he planted his body on his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if one day things would be changed. Things will be better tomorrow, he thought. I can make it up to everyone, and fix things with Jennifer. He was beginning to fall asleep. With another deep sigh, he noticed the lamp was still on by the door. Stretching, he took a lazy stride over to the lamp. Reaching with an open palm to shut off the lamp, something else happened. It was all a blur. Each finger in his body pulsed, vibrated, and it looked like electricity was coming out of each finger. The arcs of electricity collided with the light bulb, shattering it easily. Nick whispered to himself two words.

"Holy sh--"

-----

_HEROES: NEW BEGINNINGS_

_CHAPTER THREE: "POWERLESS"_

Jason leisurely looked at his new pad. It was awesome, he had to admit. He could never be able to afford this. There were expensive gadgets everywhere and nothing but he best stuff around. Now, he was playing some video-games, a hobby he had to enjoy. It was one of his favorite things to do. A chance to getaway from his troubles. Just as he was getting comfortable to start playing, his roommate entered.

"Howdy doody!" Jason greeted, hoping to get a laugh.

"Never say that again." Alexis answered, trying gravely to hide a smile. Setting down a few grocery bags, Jason tried to pretend like he didn't hear her. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and he was busy thinking of a comedic comeback. Without noticing, his body was trying to play videogames. And, of course, Jason didn't follow the safety rules. As his mind tried to think of a comeback, his body was focused on playing Nintendo Wii. In one swift motion, he accidentally tossed his Wii-mote at the expensive and state-of-the art television, causing a very terrifying noise to Alexis. The Wiimote smashed the television, leaving Jason with one hand over his mouth.

"I can explain that." Jason said, realizing that he was in deep trouble. Alexis proceeded to give him a very angry glance. Without noticing, words spat out of Jason's mouth.

"See, I was, uh, I was playing Wii Sports and I was pitching and he was batting. So, like, I wasn't wearing the thing and it flew at the television. In fact, it's not really my fault. You should thank me, now we can go to court and talk about what a hazard this is."

"You broke my high-definition Samsung flat-screen television?" She said in disbelief.

"No?" He lied.

"Oh, you're dead."

"You're kidding right? If so, that was a hilarious joke! Ha! Ha Ha! Lol! "Jason said, darting his eyes around the room, avoiding eye contact.

"You know, I think we learned a valuable lesson here today. The greater things in life-- you can't buy them, the greater things in life are the people in your lives. Why don't we share a hug? It'll make you ever so grateful."

"I think I know what I'm going to do to you." Alexis said, an evil smile forming. Jason knew that this wasn't going to be a fun rest of the night.

-----

"You kissed her didn't you?" Gregory finally said after seconds passed by slowly. Blood began to come out of Gary's lip, and he tried to come up with a clear response.

"No, I didn't." He said weakly. With one unflinching move, he thrusted Gary by his leather jacket collar against the lofts wall.

"You kissed her didn't you?" He repeated.

"No!"

"You kissed her." He said in anger, taking another hopeless swing at Gary. Blood trickled on his face, and he could barely hold his posture.

"It was a mistake!" Gary barely managed to reply. Gregory knew he was in pain.

"Then why did you lie about it?" He said, knowing Gary was weak in his drunken state.

"It's obvious isn't it?"

"No, it isn't."

"You have it all. You're oblivious that you have the life. You're the All-American guy. You're the mild-mannered farmboy, the one with the perfect family, and the perfect best friend. In all the months I've known you, you never really found out what my life is like. How everyday I hear my father tell me what a disappointment I am." He paused, trying not to be emotional.

"I want it all." He said after a long pause.

"All this time, I thought you were someone that could be my friend. All this time, I was wrong." Gregory answered.

"I kissed her, Greg. I did. I was drunk, and I couldn't help myself. How can you be so ungrateful? You've had the life I always wanted. One day I just realized that our friendship probably wouldn't last. You have a future, I don't know if I have one. The truth is I would kiss her again. I want to get the girl for once."

"But--" Gregory started, but couldn't find any words.

"You two are the All-American couple. I'm nothing. At school, I'm only your shadow. And without you, I would be an outcast. That's the truth. My life isn't even close to being perfect. I want to have a life like yours. I don't want to be powerless any longer."

"You don't have to be powerless. That's where you're wrong." Gregory said, starting to feel the smallest regret in punching him.

"Your right." He said, his voice changing suddenly. "I'm going to be unforgettable. See you around, old friend." Gary said a haunting tone in his voice. It was as if a light bulb had went off in Gary's mind all of the sudden. Gary was the one who walked out, leaving Gregory alone once again. He wasn't sure if he and Gary could ever be friends again, but he knew that he had been taking his life for granted. He had to find hope. Looking at the empty bottle of wine that was supposed to be his, he left the loft after staring at it sullenly.

-----

"What is all of this?" Jennifer asked. She was flipping through numerous drawings that Joshua had made.

"I'm not sure. I just know that all of this means something-- that something bigger than us is going on. All of the drawings are tied to something."

"Bigger than--- us?" She asked in astonishment. After flipping through more pages, something stuck out to her. As the sun lighted up her hair, she found the drawing that connected her to all of this. The drawing showed her holding her locket at the beach, looking tragically sad, her hair glistening, the sand and beach looking amazing.

"At a loss for words?" Joshua asked. He knew what that felt like.

"This is amazing. I can't believe it." She said, turning to another page, one showing her fingertips on a little boy saving him. Why was he drawing her? She hadn't even seen him at the beach.

"So you don't believe me?"

"My mom used to always tell me to "believe the best in people". I believe you. It's just--this is so amazing. How did you know that it was me in this drawing?"

"I saw you on-- I think the first day of school. You were staring at it, then you put it in your purse. I just don't get why I drew you.." He trailed off.

"I think I know why."

"Why?" Joshua said in a hushed voice that made him laugh. Here they were, sneakily sitting outside, talking about drawings. Never thought I'd see this happening, he thought. The past couple of days had been going by so fast. He couldn't wait to tell her about Retroman.

"Are you sure I can tell you?"

"Yeah. It's not like I have any friends anyway." Joshua said, sighing to himself. It was true.

"You do know. I promise." Jennifer said warmly.

"Why am I drawing you?" He said eagerly.

"I have---how can I say this. I have a power. An ability." She tried to explain, which gave the most pleased look on Joshua's face. He was no longer alone in this.

-----

The weather outside was just about perfect. Inside, Chris was still trying to get over the face that he had done it. He had found the person he was looking for. All the months of searching were over. More than that, he had a companion. Taking the necessary precautions, he prepared to take his new friends blood.

"I hate needles." Natalie complained. Chris smirked to himself.

"I wouldn't do it unless I have to. Just think you're going to be helping us find other people with powers. With you by my side, the skies are the limit." He said, enjoying the fact that it was a pun on Natalie. Or something. It was clever, nonetheless, so he continued smirking.

"What's next after you get my blood?"

"Well, hm. That's a good question. I have someone who can do great things with your blood. He can find people with abilities."

"Couldn't you find them on your own?" Natalie questioned.

"Some of them. I could find some using the Human Genome Project. But this person said that he could find every single person with the same genetic marker as you."

"How is that possible?"

"Not sure. But, rest assured, my source is reliable. He's gotten me here with you hasn't he?" Chris said, knowing it sounded like a cheap-pickup line.

"You're so lame." Natalie said, as Chris took the blood carefully. Afterwards, Chris looked at the blood taken from the needle. The four key genes would inevitably be present, and now he could find everyone with powers with those genes. Picking up the phone, he braced himself for the biggest phone call of his life. He was beyond looking forward to this. He lived for this. This was going to be a special moment. Now, he had to go use his scientist and genetist skills to find the four main genes. Then, he would call. He would face his future.


	10. Powerless, part two

Kathryn stopped running. She had left Gregory's house, but she hadn't gotten much further. She hadn't had the energy. It seemed like all of her energy had been drained. Taking deep breaths, she tried to fight the tears that were still harboring themselves on her face. She didn't want to go home at all, she couldn't face her family. She wondered if she could ever really face them. Things were spinning out of control, and she felt lost. Now, she had forced all of her petty problems on Gregory, the one person who deserved to be happy. Feeling worthless, she sat down in the grass, beginning to weep. To her surprise, someone sat next to her.

"Hi." The unknown voice said. Immediately, she recognized it. It sounded vaguely similar to Gregory's. It was his brother, Jaime.

"Hey, Jaime. How are you? You're getting bigger every time I see you." She said weakly.

"Must be all the milk I drink." After saying this, he noticed once again how upset she looked. "Gee, what's wrong? You look like you're awful sad."

"It's nothing. Just grownup stuff." She mustered.

"Gee, I never want to be a grown-up. I'm going to be a kid forever."

"Let me guess you were catching bugs and saw me leaving." Kathryn guessed.

"Yep. You know me too well."

"I know Gregory too well. We use to do the same kind of stuff when he was smaller. I hated bugs though, but I overlooked it so he would have a good time."

"That's a nice thing to do. You sure are nice, especially for a girl."

"One day you'll start liking girls, trust me."

"Heck no!" Jaime said in protest. This made Kathryn laugh for the first time during the night.

"We'll see in a couple of years." She answered, tossing a wink at her.

"I just hope that if I ever meet a girl, she's just like you." Jaime said kindly, trying to comfort her. As he left her side, she knew that he was meant for great things. Just like his brother. She looked at Jaime, waving goodbye. Standing up, she decided to go home. But she really wanted to be near her best friend.

-----

Gregory stepped into his bedroom. His parents had fallen asleep on the couch while watching television. Jaime was outside, probably goofing around. Looking at the baseball by his bed, he looked closer at it. It was a baseball given to him by his father, one that was signed by Babe Ruth. There was his usual bed lying in front of him. Just like where he had left it, the book he had read to Jaime was lying there. _Oh, the Places You'll Go_ by Dr. Seuss. Reading it by himself he tried to figure out some meaning into his life. He had gone places. To the future. The apocalyptic future.

There was only one option, and part of him knew what it was. He had to go into the future, and somehow prevent the global war. The personal demons still haunted him. He had perhaps lost Gary's friendship-- and Kathryn was a wreck. One thing was for sure, he couldn't do this without her. He hadn't been able to tell her what he had seen. Everything was about to change. On the last page, Gregory read the words to himself. He had to begin this. There was no time to waste. The hope beginning to ignite, he found whatever determination he had and prepared to use it.

-----

Jason was huffing. To be exact, he was totally out of breath. Totally out of energy. This was beyond torture. Alexis had gone past the line. He had been sent on a mission, much to his chagrin. He had to go find the exact television at Best Buy, which was harder than it sounded, because all the televisions looked the same. Then, he had to carry the television all the way upstairs. Sure, he wouldn't normally have to do it, but Alexis volunteered him. Even with the extra help, he could barely move.

"Enjoy your new television!" The worker said, acting like moving the television to the apartment had been easy. Jason gave him the weakest shake of a fist that he had ever given.

"This---has--to be against---some--child labor law." Jason said, barely able to move as he entered the apartment. So he had broken her television and made several inappropriate jokes, why did he deserve this? Carrying a fifty-something inch television was very hard.

"I thought you said you had the physique of a body builder n on the way to Best Buy." Alexis said.

"I do, uh. I just feel a fever coming on or somethin'. But trust me; I can lift hundreds of pounds. In fact, I was thinking of making some exercise videos." He said, crashing on the couch.

"Right." Alexis said.

"What did you get at the grocery store?"

"Oh, just some healthy food." Alexis answered.

"I don't believe that for a second. You have too much junk in that trunk."

"Kidding?" She growled.

"Yep. Like I said, the whole shower incident was a freak accident. Which reminds me: I'm still waiting for a thank-you by the way."

"Shh." She answered, placing something in the microwave. She walked by him, turning on her new television. Opening the cabinet below the television, she pulled out a DVD.

"Ohh. Alexis. I think I know what you just pulled out. One of the.well.you know. One of the movies that has a very intimate look at the human body." He said bluntly.

"You know it."

"Hold on, I have to get prepared for this." Jason said, pretending to reach down and adjust a few things in his pants. After finishing rolling her eyes, she put in the DVD on her new television. In horror, Jason looked at what it was. Then she brought over all of the food. Just as Jason had predicted, she had gotten junk food. They were starting to know each other too well. Like friends.

-----

"I can heal people. Like, that boy, he was unconscious and there was no lifeguard. So, I just tried to help him. Somehow, I felt all of this energy coming from me. I think I saved him. I can't explain it to this day." Jennifer said.

"Just like how I can't explain all these drawings. I went from drawing Superman and all these fictional superheroes to drawing all these people I've ever met. Look at this." Joshua said, handing her a drawing that was in his pocket.

"A stick figure?"

"That's my first drawing that I made. This morning when I woke up, it looked just like this." The stick figure was on what looked like a bed. All around the room, pieces of paper were scattered.

"When did you draw that?" She quizzed.

"A few weeks ago. I didn't think anything of it. If I drew me, and I drew you, it's like we're connected somehow. Maybe I'm drawing all of these people with supernatural abilities. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Who are all of these other people?" Jennifer wondered, looking through all of these drawings. She saw several drawings that looked to be of a teenage boy from a long time ago.

"Most of them are Retroman."

"Retroman?"

"It's just a superhero name that I came up with for him. At first, he was practically the only thing I could draw. He might be the most important puzzle piece to all of this. We have to find him." Joshua replied. He had to find some way to locate him.

"How much can you control your power? Maybe you can find out what we're supposed to do from here."

"I can't really control it. I mean, last night it sounds like I drew tons of pictures, but I don't remember doing any of it. I need to practice more."

"I'll help you." Jennifer said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"This all sounds so crazy." He said to himself.

"It does. Now get crackin'. Wait, you know what would be fun?" She said, a grin spreading on her face. Joshua looked up, adjusting his glasses, wondering what she had in store.

-----

Chris put down the phone in a rush of excitement. It was several hours later, but the moment had passed. His phone call to his unknown source had come through, and now on the paper in front of him, he had a list of names of people who were evolved humans. There were nearly forty names, and he was able to find out the locations for all of the alive ones. Natalie awoke from a nap, as Chris sipped some coffee so he could stay awake to ponder his next move.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Chris said happily, showing that the circles under his eyes wouldn't harm his good mood.

"Did it work?" Natalie demanded.

"Yes. Everything worked as planned. I have many, many evolved humans on this piece of paper."

"That's amazing!" She said, hugging him quickly and waiting for him to respond.

"Are you sure your okay with this? If you come with me, you might be put in danger. My source said that both of our lives are in danger already. What happens next could risk our lives greatly."

"Oh, come on, I'm happy to do it. Where are we going next?"

"You never told me that you lived in El Paso, Texas." Chris said, managing to change the subject.

"I didn't think it was important." Natalie answered.

"We'll talk about it later." He said, handing her the list and grabbing a suitcase from a pile of junk. Natalie peered at the list, scanning some of the names: Tony Dow, Alexis Jade, Joshua Miller, Bryan Washington, Elizabeth Stewart, Stephanie Hill, and Natalie Martinez. It made her both feel comforted and uneasy. If some unknown source that Chris had knew was able to conduct this wide range of names that included hers, who else could locate all of these people? Biting her nails, she looked back at Chris.

"Why are you packing?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The mystery man wants us to go somewhere. To a small town in Florida. Paris. Do you think you can handle it there?"

"Florida? Sun and the beach? Oh yeah, I'm coming with you." She said in excitement.

"That's what I thought."

"Are you sure you can handle it? It's going to cost a lot of money for this trip."

"I didn't save money for years for nothing." Chris said, handing her an empty suitcase. Looking at the list once more, she squirmed and handed it back to Chris. Chris seemed happy. This was his the defining moment of his journey.


	11. Powerless, part three

"Homecoming dance, this year." Gregory shouted, seemingly appearing out from nowhere. He was out of breath, but for some reason he seemed refreshed and exhilarated. Kathryn looked on longingly at him.

"What?" Kathryn asked, knowing she looked like a mess from all the crying.

"Think about it. I was too scared to ask you. We had just started going out." He said quickly.

"What's going on?"

"Just, think about it. Like how we traveled to the Ed Sullivan Show. Think about it; concentrate as hard as you can. Think about the gym that everyone danced in. But, think about later that night, after everyone left." He said, walking to her and holding her hand. She stood up, doing like he said, out of blind faith. Gregory closed his eyes, hoping that his ability would actually work properly. Focusing on one of their many memories, he also tried to think about where he had just come from. He opened his eyes, and they were at the gym. It was completely empty, but it looked like the dance was still going on.

"Open your eyes." Gregory requested. Kathryn did so. Balloons were everywhere, and the background music sounded familiar. It was one of the slow-ballads they had heard Elvis sing. They were at their high school.

"How did you--" She began.

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. I wasn't exactly completely focused. At first, I traveled to Tokyo. And then I traveled to Paris. And then Peru. But then, I got it right, after a little more concentration."

"You traveled to all of those places?" Kathryn said in amazement.

"Yeah. I guess it's a miracle I didn't end up stranded there. I really suck at this. But, then I thought my hardest and made it here. I spent a long time fixing this place up. But it was worth it. Just you and me."

"It's perfect."

"From now on, it's going to be complete honesty. Things are going to be different. We're going to be stronger than ever, I promise. We'll have a stronger relationship than me and Barbara." Gregory said, chuckling to himself, missing Barbara a little bit.

"Why-- did you do all of this, though?"

"Because you deserve it. I don't know what we're going through; I don't know why out of the blue we discovered these abilities. All of this means something. I feel like we're meant to do amazing things. You've been through so much, and I wanted you to feel at peace. Just you and me, like old times."

"I shouldn't have shifted all my problems on you. I just felt like I was going to explode."

"Shh, don't worry about it. I'm happy to help. I'm always going to be here to protect you."

"Why are we going through all of this?" Kathryn asked, moving with him to the dance floor. She put her hands on his neck, as they drifted into a slow-dance.

"I wish I could lie and say it's just growing pains." Gregory said, running a hand through her hair. She looked up longingly at him, knowing that it was true. Things had changed, but they were certainly not normal, and they were having more than growing pains. They both looked into each others eyes just like they were accustomed to. She felt safe. Time seemed to stand still. It was.

-----

Alexis sat down, handing him a bag of popcorn. It was a ritual at her apartment. One day each week, she would buy a bunch of junk food and pig out while watching something that she loved. This week, it was something that she figured Jason would dread. And it was.

"I hate this movie!" Jason said in agony.

"Have you ever seen it?"

"No." He said after considering it.

"Then shut up." Alexis said, throwing some popcorn at him. Jason, taking offense, took some sweet-tarts and hurled them at her.

"Wait, can I ask you something?" Jason said in retreat. He had been neglecting his questions for far too long.

"What?"

"We need to talk about some things."

"If this is about the birds and the bees, I'm not going there mister."

"It's about your ability. And stuff."

"You have some things to explain too. Buster." She said, half-joking and half-serious.

"Why didn't you use your ability when I hurled the thing at the television? You could have stopped it."

"Why haven't you told me exactly why my boss assigned you to me?" She replied.

"You're embarrassed of your ability aren't you? That's why you only use your ability when no one is watching. That's why you hate your heists."

"No." Alexis struggled to say.

"That's why you never have used it in front of me."

"Look, you don't get it. I don't like flaunting my ability. It's too dangerous. How do you know so much about me?"

"Okay.you want to know what's going on. That night, I came and made sure you would have an easy job. I just stole something, and bam, there you go, a get-out easy pass. I'm just here to make your job easier. Just your new partner."

"You'd tell me if you were lying, right?" Alexis asked her beauty showing that always intimidated him.

"Yes." Jason answered, barely audible. It had taken him seconds to answer, but he had to fight off the urge to tell her everything.

"I believe you. Now, where were we? Starting your favorite movie." She declared. Jason looked over at her, feeling guilty about all the secrets he had.

"I hate that movie."

"Are--you really like me?" She said, starting to shake a little bit.

"There are people out there with extraordinary abilities." He said, turning himself invisible and then returning to his original state. Alexis looked down, then looked back at him, knowing he was telling the truth. She had no more burning questions tonight. She reached over, finally starting _Grease. _And she finally started to officially pig out on food.

---

Nick sprinted down the neighborhood, using all of his quickness to find the one person who he wanted to talk to. Running down the sidewalk, he sprinted up to the doorbell on the door. Ringing it, his face was in a range of emotions. He had a power. Jennifer was the one person he could talk to about this.

Sitting in Jennifer's room, Joshua tried to act like being invited in a girls room was an occurrence that happened often. There were pictures on the wall, pictures that showed Jennifer and what he suspected was her mom. The pink theme of the room didn't surprise him, and he was most of all looking to see what Jennifer had planned. Fumbling through her belongings, she located what she wanted. An Etch-A-Sketch. The red frame was containing a big blank gray screen. She handed it to him.

"Let's see what you got." She challenged. Joshua looked down, trying to trigger his power. It wasn't working. After trying to several moments, he thrusted his hands down in frustration. Focusing one more time, he told his body to relax. In his posture now, he focused on his power. He could draw others like him. Soon, he seemed to lose sight of most of his vision. The only thing he could see was the drawing in front of him. Jennifer looked on.

His eyes were completely white, the iris missing. Now, his strokes were quicker. Faster. Better. There were two drawings laid out in front of him on the screen. Within several minutes, he had constructed both. They were very detailed. Pulling his head back, he looked at both drawings. Finally, he could examine them. Jennifer moved over by him in awe to look to see what he'd drawn. One drawing showed someone in all black walking out of a room, taking confident steps out. The other one was far clearer. It showed Retroman. In his stomach, there was a gun-shot wound. Retroman was going to be shot.

-----

"The darkest hours we face are all different. We all have different fears, different desires, and different wishes. With the knowledge we gain, we hope to be able to withstand anything that happens in our lives. Can we overcome it?

Chris and Natalie boarded the plane. Taking their seats, they both looked at each other. It wasn't awkward. It was two people that were searching for something bigger than either of them. They were heading to Florida, under the direction of someone he didn't even know. One thing he did know: they were chasing more people with powers, people that needed his help.

"Expect mostly cloudy skies in Florida. A major storm system is moving in." The airplane attendant announced.

"Something tells me the weather is about to change." Natalie said, gazing over at Chris.

"Everything has to change." Chris answered. He shut the book he had been reading. Mohinder's book that he had given him. That had been an exact quote Mohinder had said. Chris was heading back to America. But, things would be different. He had her.

-----

Can we overcome any obstacle in front of us?

"That was actually really good. I wish I could meet someone in the 1950's." Jason said while the credits rolled.

"You make it sound like you don't have that many friends." Alexis replied with concern.

"Something like that. Right now there's only you." He said with the highest sincerity he had ever said to her. Alexis looked back, her beauty radiating. She looked back with more emotion than she had showed anyone in the longest time. Behind them, loud noises erupted suddenly. Footsteps began loudly. There was not just one person, there were two. Before either could react, they had guns pointed at them. There were two guns pointed at the back of their heads.

"We have questions. You have answers." One of them said, pointing the gun at the pretty thief. He seemed to have an accent like he was Irish and not from around here. The intruder took one hand in his pocket, taking out the scribbled note. This was who he was looking for: Alexis Jade. Jason and Alexis shared looks. They were both trying to figure out how to save the other. They were both trying to figure out how to be a hero.

-----

Will you find someone to experience it with?

Kathryn looked around anxiously. Time had stood still. Gregory was frozen, as was everything else in the room. She looked to see where the music had been. Over in the corner, there was the object responsible. Barbara. His record player. How was she able to stop time? It was stunning though. Kathryn walked around, admiring every detail. It looked just like a homecoming dance should, even better. He had obviously put in a lot of work into this. More than a lot. She wanted to thank him for it. Using her brain, she tried to tell it to unstop time. Eventually, it worked. Kathryn walked over, while Gregory tried to figure out where she had gone.

"I'm still here." Kathryn said.

"How did you--"

"I'm not sure."

"I have to tell you the biggest reason I brought you here."

Gregory looked her in the eye, his determination not flickering. He was going to tell her about the future, about what he had to do, what they had to do. They had to save the world.

-----

What if you don't have anyone? What if you're alone and there is nothing but darkness around you?

Gary was still near Gregory's house. Taking one last glance from afar, he knew that his friendship was over with Gregory. But, he didn't mind. He could focus on finding himself. He could focus on getting every single thing that he deserved.

"I'm going to have power." Gary said to himself, releasing the same haunting tone he had used earlier. His envious, jealous, bitter eyes were full of darkness.

-----

Will you let the darkness envelop you?

(UNKNOWN)

A man walked down a hallway. He was dressed in all black. Taking confident steps, he looked completely confident and in control. He entered in the room. He stood there, waiting for the answer for the question he wasn't going to ask.

"Her name is Stephanie Hill. She resides in New York City. Has the ability to fly." The woman said grimly. She handed him a clipboard. After examining it for a few moments, he threw it down to the ground.

The woman was bound to what resembled a dentist chair. But, the room was almost pitch black. Darkness. Reaching for something in the desk, the man pulled out exactly what he was looking for. A needle-- with what he needed, the formula. He looked down at the helpless victim.

"Please, I have kids at home! Two daughters and a son!" She screamed.

"Hush." He said, pausing before he said anything. "I don't care." With this, he practically stabbed her with the needle. She yelled out, but he didn't seem to mind. Injecting the formula into her, the woman's eyes closed in seconds.

"Keep trying." The man instructed his colleague. The colleague who had brought in the latest evolved human. He took one last look at the victim. What a shame, he thought. With one last look, he shined his eyes. Eyes that were envious, jealous, and bitter. Moving away, he burst back out the door. With what seemed to be a smile, he turned and walked away; walking down the hallway in full confidence. He was reveling in what he had. Power.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

On the next chapter of Heroes: New Beginnings, the answers are finally here. While some have been answered, others have been left lingering. They will be answered. Gregory finally will tell his best friend the truth of the apocalyptic future. Meanwhile, Joshua tries to change the future--for the first time--of something he has drawn. And, the answers will finally be answered: how did Chris meet the mystery man? Who has Ryan aligned himself with? Who does Jason answer to? How did Kathryn first discover her ability? Who does Alexis work for? These questions will be revealed. The farmboy is the future.


	12. Chapter 4 The Past, Present, and Future

Special Thanks to: Bob The Robot, Connor Kent, Darrien, and TJtrack99 for their reviews!

Previously on Heroes: New Beginnings, ordinary people have been discovering extraordinary abilities. The 1950's farmboy traveled through time and saw the apocalyptic future, and learned his best friend could travel in time also. The girl trying to blend into the crowd found comfort in the social outcast, who drew his hero being shot. The jock learned he had an ability. The invisible man grew closer to the thief, but also has an agenda. The scientist got help from a mysterious source and now is able to locate people with abilities. As the chapter grew to a close, the farmboy prepared to tell the one closest to him what he must do.

-----

"Time is a funny thing, we spend everyday living each moment from it. And yet, does it really mean anything? Is it really guiding us? Or is it straining us? Some people spend their minds pondering the dates of things they have accomplished in the past, the present, the future. Why does time run our lives? Could the human race survive without time? Or the better question is: could the human race survive without reflecting on the past? Can we live in the present? Can we focus on the future?"

-----

"I have to tell you the biggest reason I brought you here." Gregory said, his determination not flickering.

"What is it?" Kathryn asked, time that seemed slowed down, even though it was still going normally.

"Last night, after our perfect moment, I went back home. I was so happy with my life. My mind wanted to see if I really had this extraordinary ability. I couldn't ignore it. I traveled to the future. Fifty years from now."

"What-- happened?"

"The world's population is almost extinct. There's a global war, Kathryn. In fifty years there's not going to be anyone left."

"You're sure about this?"

"Yeah." Gregory answered.

"That's the future? How can it be?"

"Something has to be the cause of this. That's why-- I have to go find out and stop this from ever happening. For our future."

"I?" Kathryn repeated in disappointment.

"I want you to go with me. I can't do this without you. But I want nothing but the best for you-- you can still have your life."

"What makes you so sure I want this life?"

"You have friends, family, Kat."

"I won't have you."

"You're saying--"

"I want to come with you. Things are different. You are my best friend, that's the only thing I'm sure of anymore. I just want to get away from here. I want to run away. I went to the future too, I don't know when it was, but it was amazing. In those minutes, I saw amazing things. We can do something amazing too."

"When do you want to-- leave?" Gregory finished in disbelief.

"Anytime you are ready." Kathryn said softly. Gregory's eyes turned from determined to worried. How could he possibly say goodbye to his family? How could he possibly be ready to leave it all behind?

-----

_NINE MONTHS AGO_

(LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)

Jason threw his backpack on the ground. It had been another week. His life wasn't what he wanted it to be. Especially his life at school. He only had a few friends, and they weren't real friends. Just friends who he would talk casually with. He didn't have any real friends. It was like he was invisible. It was probably because he was so shy. He wanted to talk to more people, but he could never work up the courage to talk to the people he wanted to-- especially girls. Now he was home alone. At least he could go take a nap. Maybe that's what I need, he thought. As he drifted lazily to his bedroom, he heard the doorbell ring. Expecting it to be someone selling something, he was surprised to see two people staring at him.

"Can I help you?" Jason asked shyly. On one side, there was a man who looked like he was in his mid-forties or early fifties. He wore glasses, and was nearly bald. On the other side, an attractive female in her twenties was present. She had long blonde hair, and a sneaky smile which made him uncomfortable.

"On the contrary, I think I can help you." The man spoke, giving him a pretentious smile.

"Aw! He's so cute!" The female exclaimed. Before Jason could do anything, she was pinching him on the cheeks. Jason just gave an awkward and fake grin.

"Elle, can't you wait in the car?" The strange man said, rolling his eyes.

"I think we found a keeper! Look at this kid. What a smile! I likey. In fact, I lovey." The woman looked him over, pausing. "Daddy, why isn't he drooling over me like a good teenage boy?" Elle asked, giving both an innocent, sad puppy face.

"Elle, wait in the car." The man demanded. Elle shined another sad puppy look, then slowly walked back to the car.

"Who are you?" Jason asked.

"My name is Bob Bishop. I work for a company who would like to help you."

"Help me? What is this company?"

"It doesn't really have a name. Most just call it The Company." Bob answered. Jason raised his eyebrows. The Company?

-----

_HEROES: NEW BEGINNINGS_

_CHAPTER FOUR: "THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE"_

-----

Joshua looked again at the drawing. What was going to happen? Or maybe it had already happened. Jennifer heard a doorbell and mouthed that she would be right back. What if Retroman was already dead? He couldn't be. There had to be a reason why he had drawn all of these pictures of him. Shoving the Etch-A-Sketch and all of his drawings in his backpack, he quickly got up to go outside and think in the fresh air. Walking downstairs, he saw who it was. Nick. Nick and Jennifer. They were talking. In distress, Joshua's teeth gritted and he brushed Nick as he exited without saying a word. It was all going downhill. Everything. The most important thing left was to save his own superhero. Retroman. But how?

-----

_NINE MONTHS AGO_

(COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA)

Chris flipped through of his favorite book at the moment. _Activating Evolution, by Chandra Suresh._ Things were going awry, but this was the one thing that he had left. He had just lost his job two days ago. Now, to take a break from job searching, he was reading this. He shouldn't be, but he couldn't seem to put it down. He wasn't ever rich by any means, and his apartment was messy. It would be even messier without his wife. She entered the room just as he began reading another passage.

"Hi." Chris said simply.

"Hi." Jessie replied.

"I was thinking with that some of our savings we could go see one of Chandra Suresh's son's lectures. He has one coming up in Madras."

"Chris, we don't have the money for that, we can barely pay the bills."

"We have enough."

"Not if--we want kids." She replied.

"Once I get a job we can deal with that. I already bought plane tickets." Chris confessed. The silence ensued, seconds before his wife slapped him.

"How could you make a decision like this without telling me? You haven't told me anything lately. We're falling apart for god sakes!"

"I am sorry."

"Me too." She said, clearly angry.

"Will you be here if I come back?"

"If?"

"If." Chris repeated. There was his answer. It was done. He was going alone; he was going to be alone. His wife was as good as gone. Taking one last glance around, he dragged his suitcase and shut the door, but then propped his body against the door, thinking about the rash decision he had just made that had cost him all that he had.

-----

Gregory's hazel eyes looked around at his life. The farm. There were horses, cows, and the loft that he had always spent time in. Now, it was all going to be gone before he knew it. This was going to be the last time he'd see all of this for a long time. It could even be forever. He hadn't really thought about what he would on his last day, but he told himself how he wanted to spend it. Now he had to make it a reality. Jogging until he got to the porch, he walked into his house. Inside the living room were his parents. It was late in the night, but it looked like they had waited up for him.

"Gee, hey guys." Gregory said.

"Long time no see. We've barely seen you the past couple of days." His father said. They both had the same hazel eyes, and nearly the same shade of hair color. His father had wrinkles, and Gregory hoped that if he came back that he wouldn't miss too much time with his parents.

"Oh, yeah, I've just been hanging out with Kathryn and stuff. Sorry."

"You better get into bed and get some shut eye. Be quiet so you don't wake up your brother." His mother chirped.

"Yes ma'am." Gregory said with a smile. With one last look at his parents sitting on the couch, he stumbled back upstairs. He had one more thing to do before he went to sleep. He opened a closet door and took out a sleeping bag. Cracking Jaime's door, he sneaked in. However, it was too late and Jaime was already awake.

"Hey Beave. Mind if I sleep in here tonight?" Gregory asked his sleepy brother.

"Why?" Jaime asked, starting to get excited.

"Just cause." He answered.

"Sure. Just like old times."

"Just like old times."

"Wally? Why have you been acting different lately? I haven't seen you around much lately either."

"I've just been messin' around. You know how it is."

"Yep. I've bet you've been smooching Kathryn. Like one of those cheesy black-and-white romance flicks that you've started watching."

"She wanted to watch it; I had no say in the matter." Gregory shot back.

"Oh yeah I'm sure."

They both looked at each other for a few seconds then burst out laughing. Just like old times.

-----

Ryan entered the Celtic Lion. He had a decision to make. He could either stay with his brothers or confront this Alexis Jade. His life made even less sense than it usually did. Not even his sense of humor was top-notch like it usually was. But in all honesty, he had already made the decision. The plane ticket was already in his hands. His brothers had no clue.

"Hey guys, uh, I have something to say." Ryan said loudly.

"What is it?" They all said, faking interest.

"I'm going to be gone for awhile. I'll be back soon." To Ryan's disappointment, he didn't really get any reaction. They must have thought that he would be back in a couple of days. Maybe he would be. Maybe he wouldn't. To his surprise, he found himself walking over to each of his brothers and hugging them. Even Liam. Time was moving fast now. It was almost time for him to leave. He wanted so many answers, and he had to go to whoever could answer any of them. No one saying a word, Ryan gave one last nod to his brothers. His brothers had no clue what was going on. Ryan exited the door and took one last look at the Celtic Lion. I'm going to miss getting drunk, he thought.

-----

_ONE WEEK AGO_

Kathryn looked at herself in the mirror. She had just got done hanging out at Gregory's house, watching one of those cheesy black-and-white romance flicks. She didn't really like them as much as she let on, she just liked torturing Gregory. It was a best friend thing. Hearing a knock, she slowly opened the door to greet whoever it was.

"Hey." Gary greeted, smiling at Kathryn.

"Gary? Hey."

"Sorry to just show up. I just wanted to give back the pencil you let me borrow."

"Thanks?" Kathryn answered, wondering what was really going on.

"Nah, I just drifted over here."

"Trouble at home?"

"Something like that. My dad just got done going through another round of letting me know how my grades aren't good enough, I should play more sports, and I should be a better son. The usual. Do you ever feel like your powerless?"

"Not lately, but I know what you mean." She answered.

"Its like-- I just want more for myself. You and Gregory are great but there's always something weighing me down." He paused. "I guess I just want to be somebody."

"Like some famous movie big-shot?"

"You kidding me? That would be real neat. I just want to make a difference. To be unforgettable no matter what. To change the world for the better."

"Anyone can make a difference." Kathryn said, looking straight into his eyes.

"You think so?" Gary asked.

"I know so." She said, enjoying that she could finally have a real conversation with her friend.

Gary smiled back. He felt better for the time being. Before he could stop himself, he moved forward and touched her lips with his. Things were like he wanted it to be. But after a few seconds, she pulled back. Gary looked down at the ground as he tried to think of what to say.

"I'm--sorry." With that, Gary walked out of the room, hoping that things would go back to normal. After a few minutes, he decided he should go clear things up. As he entered the room he noticed something. Kathryn was gone.

-----

Jason was walking down his neighborhood with Bob. Fortunately for Bob, his daughter wasn't tagging along. He seemed to enjoy that fact. Jason was trying to figure out what this all meant.

"Why did you come to me? I don't get it."

"We know all about you, Jason. You haven't yet, but someday soon it will happen."

"What will happen?"

"You have a specific four letter gene sequence. This sequence of DNA has a way of giving people abilities--powers. Like abilities of comic book superheroes. Someday soon you will inhabit one."

"Right. So I'm going to have an ability." Jason said with sarcasm.

"We just want to help you. There are others with abilities. Like me." Bob explained. He had brought a spoon with him. It's what he usually used to show his ability to other. He took the spoon out and showed it to Jason. With some degree of concentration, the spoon gradually turned into gold. Shuddering, Jason stepped back in awe.

"How--did--" Jason started. Hearing a noise, he turned behind him. A ball of electricity was in Elle's hand. Just being close to it, he felt a small zap in his body.

"Boo." Elle said with a sadistic smile.

"Elle. Car. You. Now." Bob said, rolling his eyes.

"I was just having some fun." She said sadly, turning to Jason. "I wish we were both teenagers so we could go to prom. I can't believe I didn't go to prom. You seem like a nice kid. A little hormonal, I hope. Don't get too excited. See you soon." Elle said, finally moving back into the car.

"What am I supposed to do? Go with you?" Jason asked Bob.

"We've arranged it with your parents, yes. We want to teach you things, about others like you. We want to explain everything. Think of it as a part time job. You'll see us everyday, but we are helping you. We'll go from there. There are certain benefits."

"My parents agreed to this?"

"We just want to help. What do you have to lose?" Bob asked. This was a lot to take in. What was he supposed to say? There was only one thing to say.

"I'm in."


	13. The Past, Present, and Future part two

Joshua angrily walked into his driveway. Trying to open the door, he realized it was locked. Unbelievable, he thought. To make matters worse, the mat where the backup key was supposed to be was gone. Sighing, he tried to figure out what to do next. He was locked out. No one home. At least he was outside. In his thinking, he had tried to figure out his real next step. He had to unlock the true potential of his ability. It's what every superhero had to do. Shuffling through his backpack he realized there was no more paper left. Hatching a plan, he walked over to his neighbor's house. There were two little kids playing with chalk. Awkwardly, he started talking.

"Hey, uh, can I borrow that?" Joshua said, adjusting his glasses before taking their chalk and running away. That must look really weird he thought to himself. At least he had a way to use his power. His driveway was wide and big enough for him to use the chalk. Why not? Now was his chance to really evolve his ability. But there was more on the line. He had to focus on finding where Retroman was going to get shot. And stop it. He concentrated. Soon enough, the iris in his eye was gone, and he started using the pieces of chalk.

-----

"The last time I was here, I spoke that cockroaches were the pinnacle of human life. I don't think that anymore. I've seen things that I can't even describe. Things that I could never in a million years begin to explain. Man has shown potential, and man is evolving. In closing, I want each and everyone here to know the simple truth: you don't have to have an ability to be extraordinary. Of course, if you have a power, you don't have to worry about being extraordinary. Time has a way of flying. We can't prevent it. I know that first hand. All we can do is take each moment like it is our last. That's all we can do. I encourage each and every one of you to activate your personal evolution. Do something than isn't ordinary. Be more than you have ever been. Thank you all." Mohinder finished, to a small applause from all in attendance at Chennai University. Chris clapped the loudest, even standing up and screaming.

"Woo!" He said. Everyone around him gave him annoyed looks. Chris sat back down.

-----

"That was amazing." Chris said, approaching Mohinder Suresh, his hero. Mohinder had sharp eyebrows and a natural gaze that seemed to give off mysteriousness.

"You think so? It was certainly better than my other lectures, I'll tell you that."

"It certainly was. I wish I could be like you. I mean, I've always wanted to be a scientist, I studied and everything, but then somehow or another I managed to find my way into a cubicle job."

"If I can be a scientist, then anyone can." Mohinder joked. Chris laughed like it was the first joke he'd ever heard.

"I doubt it. I don't really have the heart anymore."

"Well, why is that?" Mohinder asked, waving to more guests while they chatted.

"Just stuff at home. My wife. She doesn't really understand all of this. I'm barely paying the bills and yet I flew all over to India to hear someone talk about superhuman abilities."

"That does sound a little--crazy." Mohinder said with an oddball smile.

"It was worth it. So, tell me, you've always talked about flight-- telekinesis-- teleportation-- have you seen any other abilities?"

"Without sounding insane. Yes. I have. There are people that have stunning powers. Powers that could make a real difference. Powers that are."

"I want to experience this first-hand. It's all I've been thinking about lately. That all those old rusty comics I use to read are true. Do you think I can?"

"Absolutely." Mohinder said warmly. Reaching over to a table, he handed something to Chris.

"What is this?"

"It's something I use to do. It's like-- a quote book or something. I use to write down my thoughts on a lot of things. From life to people with powers, just about all I've seen is in there. Maybe it'll help you. I don't need it anymore. God knows I need to stop my deep and profound thinking."

"Thank you."

"You are welcome." Mohinder said, as they shook hands. They both smiled casually at each other.

-----

Gregory stared up at the ceiling. This was his last day he was going to be home. He couldn't waste any more time. He was lost in his thoughts. He didn't even notice when Jaime woke up until he spoke.

"Greg? Are you awake?" Jaime asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Boy, it's been a long time since we've slept in the same room. Since I was a kid."

"You are a kid, goofy." Gregory said, chuckling to himself.

"I'm a big kid now though."

"Boy, you sure are acting silly Jaime."

"It's Beaver, remember?"

"Don't give me the business." He joked.

"What do you want to today?" Jaime asked, jumping off the bed and walking over to Gregory.

"Horse around. Like old times. I have something in mind." Gregory said mysteriously.

"What are you planning Wally?"

"We're gonna do something' that mom and dad would go ape on us for." Gregory said happily, reaching over to his side and touching the Babe Ruth baseball in his hands. They were going to play some baseball.

"Gee Wally, mom and dad would go ape on us for doing this!" Jaime exclaimed, enjoying that they were playing on the dangerous side.

"We won't get caught; they are probably reading the newspaper or doing some junk like that." Gregory said, throwing him a baseball mitt as they began to throw the baseball back and forth.

"It's not like you to break the rules."

"I've kinda missed it. Being a kid, I mean. It seems like I'm nearly a grownup. I guess I am."

"You'll be gone in another year." Jaime said disapprovingly.

"Even then, we'll talk everyday. I promise." Gregory replied lightly.

"Promise promise?" Jaime begged.

"I promise promise. Boy, you are a goof."

"I know it." Jaime answered, throwing the baseball back to Gregory who caught it easily in his baseball mitt.

"Hey, Beave. If I was going to be gone for awhile--or if I suddenly vanished forever--would you mind?"

"Oh sure Wally. I would miss blaming stuff on you." Jaime responded, leading Gregory to chuckle to himself in spite of all his thoughts.

"You better go take a bath. You stink from here. I didn't want to say anything, but you stink."

"It's only been like two days since I've taken a bath."

"Exactly." Gregory said, tossing his prized baseball back to Jaime's mitt. To his horror, it missed, and fell right by the shoe of his father.

"Howdy boys." Their father said, smiling and then noticing the baseball that was at his feet. Jaime and Gregory both looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Following Jaime's lead, Gregory ran away in the same direction. They were running away. Like a bunch of kids.

-----

Ryan boarded the plane, awkwardly stumbling, looking for his seat. This was the first time he'd really been on a plane ride. It wasn't going to be a pleasant experience in his view. Sitting down in an empty row, he finally located his seat in the middle of three seats. Setting his stuff above him, he sat down to try and get some shut eye. Someone sat down next to him, making an awful ruckus.

"Hey there." The stranger greeted, as Ryan just nodded his head and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work. He couldn't set his mind at ease. Reaching into his pocket, he located the small paper that had the woman's name on it. Alexis Jade. Beside him, the stranger looked over and read it. Before Ryan could react, the stranger talked.

"I'm Bryan Washington. I think we should talk. I know Alexis Jade." The man said.

"What? How?" Ryan demanded.

"She kidnapped me a month ago." Bryan said smoothly, with a hint of emotion that made Ryan believe him.

"She did, eh?"

"Can I ask you something? Have you been able to-- do something that you haven't before?"

"Yes, you could say that." Ryan found himself spouting.

"You have? Me too. A few weeks ago, I was just talking to my friends, and for every question I would ask them playfully, they would tell me the truth. I asked all my friends what they getting me for Christmas-- every single one of them told me. She would never have told me. I discovered that I could get people to tell the truth whenever I wanted them too."

"That's incredible."

"What happened to you?" Bryan questioned. Ryan had an urge to tell him. He wanted someone to talk to about this.

"I was kidnapped, and like, out of nowhere I had super strength. It was freakin' amazing, I've never felt anything like it in my life." He said to his friendly ally. He looked him over for the first time really. He was in his forties, brown hair, and he looked like a friendly guy.

"I liked my ability to. Until I got kidnapped. I think--she used telekinesis or something. I couldn't feel anything. Before I knew it, I was unconscious. Sometimes I wish I didn't have my ability, don't you? This is dangerous."

"It is, but we can use it to help people. And that starts by stopping her. This Alexa Jade. And stopping all these kidnappings. Together. I'm Ryan. Ryan Quinn." Ryan said, shaking his new friend's hand. He had someone to help him, someone to help him get answers. Someone like him.

-----

Kathryn looked in amazement. Out of nowhere, she had blinked and she was now in New York City. Times Square. It all looked different than she thought it would. Very different. I'm not in Kansas anymore, she joked to herself. She had to be in the future. The technology was amazing. People were on what looked like phones, but they weren't plugged in or anything. Forgetting all of this, she rushed to find a bookstore. If this wasn't a dream, and if she was really in the future, maybe her best friend really had become a famous writer. There it was.

Pushing open the door, she hurried around to look for his name in the huge shelves of books. It was all a lot to take in. She tried to ignore the urge to look around and figure out what all had changed. Her mind told her that this was real, that she really was in a different time. Scanning the last names, she failed to find any books that Gregory may have written. I'm sure they are just all out, she thought. She knew that he was meant to be a famous writer, it must be some mistake. Exiting, she found one book that caught her eye. _Oh The Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss._ Jaime would love this, she thought. Smiling, she grabbed it and searched through the pages. After this, she would explore and find out for sure what happened to Gregory. She saw something that caught her eye.

-----

_TWO MONTHS AGO_

Jason walked into the hallway of The Company. By his side, was his partner and the closest thing he had to a true friend Elle Bishop. She didn't know he was there, until he stopped being invisible and stood by her.

"What took you so long, good lookin'." Elle said warmly, pinching his cheeks like she had done so long ago.

"I had to use the bathroom after I saw what you were wearing today." Jason said, waiting for her to laugh. She did.

"You are my favorite teenager. It makes me very sad that we won't be seeing each other for awhile. You are all grown up."

"True, true. I am going to miss being around such a pretty lady." He said, kissing her hand. Elle laughed again.

"Look, are you going to be able to handle this solo? It's not so easy having an assignment alone. Things have been going to hell lately too." She said, as they both finally became serious.

"I've been here more than six months. I can handle anything. I've learned the most from you. If you know what I mean. " Jason joked.

"Yes, that's right, you've learned how to talk to a lady, right? It may work on me, bud, but don't try that in the real world."

"Allright. Fine. I'll try not to. I'm not promising anything."

"Take care of yourself. You've made a very good hormonal teenager here. With a little help from me. I'm gonna miss ya, really." Elle said, punching him on the shoulder and zapping him a little.

"I'll be back before you know it. Thanks though for helping me out. Just be good while I'm gone. Sometimes the Company can be sketchy. I've found that out. Be careful."

"I'll behave. Gosh, you sound like my dad." Elle complained.

"You should just behave so I can see that spankin' body again. I'm going to miss having you as my partner." Jason said right as Bob walked by. Bob gave Jason a less-than-pleased look.

"My assignment partner! Come on!" He shouted to Bob. Elle was more than amused. Bob looked back and nodded at Jason as his goodbye. Jason moved closer to Elle and locked her in a hug.

"Bye Elle." Jason said, smiling to himself that he had made something out of his life.

"Like I said, I'm gonna miss ya. It won't be the same without you. Other than making me laugh, you've made my life less-- crappy." Elle said bluntly. That was as mushy as she could be. Jason took it, finally letting her go and then grinning. Then he started to walk away. To his assignment. Alexis Jade.

"They grow up so fast." Elle said to herself, feeling a mother who just dropped off her child on the first day of school.

-----


	14. The Past, Present, and Future part three

Chris heard his cell phone ringing. He had just got done chatting with Mohinder. Could he really do what Mohinder had done? Could be find people with abilities? Could he himself evolve? Opening the cell phone, he secretly wished that it was his wife. Instead, it was a number that he didn't recognize. In anxiousness, he answered.

"Hello?" Chris asked.

"Hello. Chris Michaels. Don't be disturbed, I just want to talk with you." The person on the other line. Chris couldn't determine if this was someone his age or what.

"Do I know you?"

"No. Not yet. I know you. I saw you at Mohinder Suresh's lecture. I heard you two talking. I saw the hope in your eyes. It's unmistakable. I want to help."

"How?" Chris said excitedly.

"Listen closely. I want you to find someone with abilities. Somehow. You can let them find you, I don't care. Just find someone and then call me. Don't call until then. Chris, I can help you. I can help you find the hope you really are looking for." The stranger said, and then hung up. Chris looked at his cell phone, wondering who the man was and how he knew that he was looking for real hope.

-----

Ryan walked up the stairs alongside Bryan. His new companion. It was time for action.

"Are you sure about this?" Ryan asked as he held a gun in his pocket.

"It's the only way." Bryan answered. They had been talking the whole plane ride. He had convinced Ryan this was the only way. It was. Ryan looked at the door and then tried to open it. It was unlocked. . Both rushing in with swift footsteps, they lifted their guns. They rushed over to the couch, where a woman and a teenage boy were sitting. They both pointed guns at their heads.

"We have questions. You have answers." Ryan stated firmly. He reached into his other pocket and took out the note. This was her. Alexis Jade. His search was over. He could finally get the answers he wanted.

-----

Kathryn was back into her bedroom. Her experience had been over like a flash. But she had managed to do the two things she wanted. Her room looked the same. Looking at the clock, she found out that she had been gone two hours.

"No way." She said to thin air. Opening her door and walking out, she found her parents who were chatting.

"Mom, dad, you won't believe what happened to me! I went to the future!" She declared. She didn't seem to realize how crazy it was until she had said it.

"What?" They both said.

"I--I went to the future. I know it sounds completely off the wall. I was there. I even brought back this book." She said, handing them the book she had picked out for Jaime.

"Sweetie, it's good that you still have an imagination and you went to this trouble to entertain us. You and Gregory always seemed to enjoy pranking us." Her mother said sternly.

"I'm being serious. I swear to God!" Kathryn gushed loudly, hurt that they didn't seem to even want to consider it in the slightest.

"That's enough, Kathryn. You should go to your room. This prank has gone far enough. You need to quit embarrassing yourself." Her father demanded. Kathryn tried to shrug it off, but she couldn't. She had hoped that they could trust her, that they would. She was wrong. A tear was her only company now.

-----

"Time goes slowly at times, faster at others. The things that we miss are always present in our minds. Our past is always on our minds.

_YESTERDAY_

Today was the day. After weeks of watching her, Jason had found the opportunity he was looking for. To begin his real mission. He thought of all the people he had known at The Company. They were counting on him. Turning himself invisible, he easily made his way into the museum. He wished that he had Elle there, or any partner. He was nervous. This was his first solo assignment. Alexis was very lonely, lonely like he had been before he found where he belonged. She thought she was alone. She had to know the truth. That she wasn't. Watching her, he decided now was the time. Taking out a gun in his pocket, he shot the glass that held jewelry. The alarm blared loudly.

Now was her chance. He watched her use her telekinesis to retrieve the most expensive jewelry. Around him, people were running in panic. He watched her exit confidently. He watched her blonde-brownish hair and green eyes and fully confident glare. He followed her. She was heading for the Porsche. Running, he got into the Porsche and waited for her. She came seconds later. What could he possibly say? The words were blank, and he couldn't think of what to say. He had only one option.

"Hi there!" Jason said annoyingly.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Your new best friend." With a seductive tone in his voice. In all his months joking around with Elle and acting like a hormonal teenager, he had grown comfortable to hitting on girls. Now, it would have to be the thing that brought them together. After all, he had a job to do.

-----

"The past where we have experienced both bad things and good things. The past that has brought us to the present."

_THREE MONTHS AGO_

Alexis ran down the sidewalk. She was the one thing she didn't want to be. A criminal. She was a cat burglar. Over the month, she had become an expert with her ability. She had no friends, no family. All she had was money now. She wanted to be rich. It would at least be some comfort for her. Her face said it all. She hated it, but she had to keep stealing. To create a lifestyle she could enjoy.

"Alexis Jade. I've heard about you." A voice said behind her. She could barely make out the face because it was so dark.

"Who--" Alexis said in fear.

"Just call me Gary." The man said walking over to her. He looked like he was not even in his mid-twenties. He wore a leather jacket and slicked over hair. He clearly wasn't from around here.

"Get away from me." She demanded. She was preparing to use her ability.

"I can help you. You can go from a cat burglar-- to something bigger, better. I can help you become rich. You have my word. I can help you." Gary said smoothly.

"What do you want?"

"There are a few things I could use some help with. There's plenty of money, Alexis. You can live the life of luxury. Trust me."

"How much money are we talking about?." Alexis said weakly. This could be her first real break. A life of luxury. All she had to do was trust someone. She couldn't turn it down.

-----

The present has a way of leaving us in peril. The future is so unknown, but yet the past seems so far away. The present can leave many pathways up in the air: we have the power to make any decision we want. Whether for better or worse.

_PRESENT DAY_

"Keep trying." The man instructed his colleague. The colleague who had brought in the latest evolved human. He took one last look at the victim. What a shame, he thought. With one last look, he shined his eyes. Eyes that were envious, jealous, and bitter. Moving away, he burst back out the door. With what seemed to be a smile, he turned and walked away; walking down the hallway in full confidence. He was reveling in what he had. Power. Taking an exit door, Gary tried to decipher his next move. After thinking for a few moments, it clicked. Glancing up at the sky, he studied the moon. Hovering above ground for only a few seconds, Gary then levitated straight up in the air. Next, he took one look north and flew at supersonic speed in that direction. It wasn't all a waste, he thought.

-----

Decisions hang in the balance. Can we make the biggest decision of our life? Can we make the right choice? The future is on the line in each decision we make.

Gregory and Jaime ran back to the house after a couple of minutes. It was one last kid moment. They both rushed inside. Their father was waiting.

"Boys, I saw you were throwing back and forth the Babe Ruth baseball I gave you. There was no harm done. Don't let it happen again. I just don't get why you ran away. Especially you Gregory."

"I guess there is some kid left in me. Kathryn and I were always trouble makers." Gregory said with a smile. Then he spoke again.

"Why don't we all sit down and have lunch together? It's been a long time but it would sure be real cool."

"What do you say, _June_?" Their father said, as Jaime enjoyed another Leave It to Beaver reference.

"Sounds like the best idea I've heard in a long while. How about you Beaver?"

"Boy that sounds nice. You guys don't have to pretend like we're in the television show anymore. I already have a family. The best one. Plus, it's real." Jaime said.

Gregory nodded, ruffling his brother's hair and then moving over to help set the table. The last meal.

"Are you ready to get back to school Greg?" Their father chimed as they were eating lunch together.

"Oh. Oh yeah." Gregory said awkwardly. He hadn't even thought about school lately.

"I hope you don't fall down at graduation." Jaime joked.

"Me too." Greg agreed.

"What about you, Jaime." Their mother asked.

"Heck I don't know! It will be nice to see the fellas again. I just don't know about those icky girls." Jaime said, sticking his tongue out. Everyone laughed.

"You might meet up with someone like Kathryn." Gregory said, hoping to inspire him.

"Gee, you might just be right."

"Can I be excused?" Gregory asked suddenly.

"Sure." His mother and father both said.

"Hey--uh--thanks for everything guys. Thanks for being a swell mom and dad, and always being there. Thanks Jaime for being such a goofy little brother. Thanks."

-----

Gregory walked slowly out the door, knowing that it was time. He had his final meal, now it was time to start missing everything he was about to leave. Kathryn was outside waiting for him on his porch. They had to do this.

It is all connected: the past, the present, the future, they hold the keys to our lives." -Mohinder Suresh

-----

Joshua's vision around him returned. He stared at the driveway. He had drawn several drawings. One showed Retroman staring up at a black sun, one that looked like it was blocked out practically. He held a newspaper that read: "95 percent of the world's population is dead".One showed Retroman in an apartment, looking like he was in agony. One showed him in Times Square, a complete shock on his face. For some reason, the drawings seemed to almost speak to him. They said that Retroman was from the past. He must have an ability if he drew him. If Retroman had an ability, it could be time travel. It could explain why he was in shock at Times Square and why he was there out of the blue. If Retroman was a time traveler, maybe he had seen the future if he traveled again and is going to try to fix it. The future full of darkness. It all made sense.

"Joshua!" Jennifer said from behind him, walking over.

"I came to apologize. It's not what it looked like. I know how much you hate Nick. Things are different. I just broke up with him. But--I think things are a lot more different than you know." Jennifer paused, seeing all the drawings around her. "This is who you drew. What does it mean?"

"It means: The farm boy is the future." Joshua said, looking at her and adjusting his glasses. This wasn't just her finding it out; they were both finding it out. The farm boy is the future.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

You've seen the past. Now, the present is here. Lives are in danger, lives are at stake. Gregory and Kathryn say their final goodbyes and go to the present, but find themselves in an unexpected place. Chris locates the three people with abilities and learns that he has another mission. Joshua learns more about Jennifer and the jock who he hated. Alexis and Jason face off against Ryan and Bryan. Who will prevail? What will happen? On the next Heroes: New Beginnings, nothing is certain.


	15. Chapter 5, Homecoming

So far on Heroes: New Beginnings, ordinary people have been discovering abilities. The 1950's farmboy traveled through time and saw the apocalyptic future-- and his best friend joined him as they finally decided they had to try and stop the future. The social outcast drew his superhero being shot- Retroman- and now has found out the truth: that the farmboy is the future. The girl trying to blend in with the crowd came face to face with the jock-- who has an ability himself. The scientist got orders from his source to fly to Paris, Florida with the weather controller. The Irishman and the truth-getter decided to get answers. The invisible man and the thief became friends. In the final moments, the farmboy said goodbye to his family and prepared to leave. The time for action is here.

-----

"The defining moment in our lives. Maybe some of us have already reached it, some others are already near it. The fact remains, in one's life, we will face that defining moment. A new beginning, a new ending, or somewhere in between. We will face it. We will face the uncertainty, the unexpected, and the fear of not knowing what's going to happen next. We can only hope we'll have the grace to face it."

-----

"The farmboy is the future." Joshua said. He adjusted his glasses. This was the message that was finally becoming obvious. He was the key to it all.

"What?" Jennifer replied. It was time for another one of his lame rants. But at least then she'd know the truth.

"Retroman-- the guy I've been drawing. He has to be living in the 50's, look at that hair. And I've been drawing people with-- powers. This has to be it. You probably can't read it very well, but then it shows him in New York City holding a newspaper that says 95 percent of the population is dead. What if he can travel through time? What if he traveled to the future? What if this is the future?"

"That's impossible. That would mean that-- We'd probably be dead."

"Yeah." Joshua answered.

"So you can draw the past, present, and future?"

"I think so. It makes sense though. But we can't stay here for long. In every comic book the hero always faces the evil head on. We have to be able to help him somehow. Retroman must be trying to stop all of this. He's coming here."

"Why?" Jennifer wondered.

"Because that's where he first traveled when he came here." Joshua answered.

-----

"How do you know?"

"I just-- know. I'm not sure. I'm not sure how or why but I'm sure of it. Let's say he went to 2007, to Times Square. Right? Then what happens if he travels again, and focuses his mind on Times Square which is in New York. He lands in New York. However, it's not the right year. Its years later, and that's when the worlds population is nearly extinct. And Retroman is coming back here because he can control his ability. He's going back to where it all began." Joshua explained. How did he suddenly learn all of this?

"Wow."

"You're telling me. I have to do this. Stop him from being shot. It might happen, everything I've drawn has. He's the key to this, I just know it."

"Joshua-- I need to talk to you about something." Jennifer began. Before they could talk further, two strangers walked up to them. A man and a woman. The man looked nervous and in his mid thirties who was with a golden skinned person about the same age who seemed very curious.

"Hello? Joshua Miller?" The woman asked.

"Uh. Yeah." Joshua responded dumbly.

"Um, I believe we can be of some assistance." The man said awkwardly.

-----

Gregory walked slowly outside. Kathryn was waiting for him.

"Hey stranger." Kathryn greeted him. Gregory looked at the ground then at her.

"So this is it. Right?"

"Sure is." She responded.

"Are you sure you're ready? Are you sure you can do this, Kat? What if something happens to you?"

"Nothing is going to happen to either of us. Okay? We have to do this. For everyone. You and me. We can travel through time. We can do anything."

"Even change the future?" He pondered out loud. Another deep and profound thought.

"Especially that. We can do it. Whether or not we can really dance at all I'm not sure of though." She joked. Gregory chuckled lightly. He tried to blank out his mind so that no thoughts leaked in.

"I'll say." Gregory responded. They both stood up and watched each other as they stood on the porch. He wanted to say goodbye to Jaime and his family one more time but he knew he shouldn't. It would just scare them. After all, if he could ever control his ability he might be able to come back to his old life not five minutes later. They wouldn't know he was gone. But he would know he was gone. Goodbye, he thought.

-----

"We have questions, you have answers." One of them said. It seemed like he had an Irish accent. Jason and Alexis shared looks. They were both trying to figure out how to save each other. They didn't speak. They had to time this perfectly. They both knew how to use their power. They were almost experts. They both nodded their heads at each other. Alexis turned around, and closed her eyes with concentration for what seemed like a split second. The person who had spoken was launched across the room. Jason turned invisible. While the other stranger was distracted by all of this, she used her telekinesis to hurl him across the room. Jason rushed over to Alexis. She couldn't see him, but she felt his hand on hers.

"Hold my hand." Jason instructed. She did. Ryan looked around. They both seemed to have vanished. They were both gone. Bryan rose up quickly though and didn't seem shocked at all. He lifted his gun and started shooting bullets around him recklessly. The kid was good but he was experienced and confident. After another few rounds of bullets, he got it. Bullseye. The two people became visible again. Jason had been shot on the shoulder. Alexis looked on in terror. Jason let go of her hand as he drifted away.

-----

_HEROES: NEW BEGINNINGS_

_CHAPTER FIVE: "HOMECOMING"_

-----

Chris had his suitcase still in the car. He and Chris pulled near Joshua Miller's driveway. Something immediately stuck out. There were chalk drawings on his driveway. Outside, two teenagers seemed to be discussing the drawings. He looked over at Natalie. This could be someone with a power. It was possible. He tried to figure out what to say. Natalie looked over at him. They both shrugged and walked over to them. Here goes nothing.

"Hello? Joshua Miller?" Natalie asked with intrigue.

"Uh. Yeah."

"Um, I believe we can be of some assistance." Chris relied.

"What he means to say is-- we've come to see you." Natalie vouched.

"Why?"

"This is sort of hard to explain. Have you experienced anything that isn't exactly normal lately?" Chris asked.

Jennifer spoke before Joshua could think of anything to say.

"I've seen you before." Jennifer said. The sun blared on her blonde hair. She was speaking to Natalie.

"Huh?" Natalie and Chris both answered at the same time. They looked at each other awkwardly.

"You drew her." Jennifer whispered to Joshua.

"Maybe we should talk." Joshua said. That sounded really lame, he thought.

-----

"I have been experiencing something lately. This is going to sound totally nuts but, I can control the weather. It started a few weeks ago." Natalie started. Chris shook his head; if these people didn't have powers then they would think she was insane. But he knew there was something lying beneath the surface here.

"You discovered that you had a power?" Jennifer finished. Joshua had been cynical about this new visitor. He was too stressed out about what his next move should be. He sat silent.

"Yes." Natalie confirmed.

"Joshua, I have a list of people with the same genetic marker as her. You are one of those people on the list. There are three people with powers. Joshua Miller, Jennifer Wilson, and Nick Brown." Chris explained.

"Nick Brown?" Joshua said loudly.

"I wanted to tell you." Jennifer said quickly. Joshua paused for a few seconds and adjusted his glasses.

"It doesn't matter! Look, I appreciate this guys, but I don't care right now. I don't need to know about "who I am" or tell you what I can do. Or anything else. I need to do something.." He said uneasily.

"These people can help us." She said.

"How much money do you have, Jenn? I work a comic book store and I just got my paycheck. Look, if you guys let me borrow some money then I'll tell you everything."

"I would like to help, but I need to save all the money I have left over. Or at least I think it would be wise to. I do lots of traveling." Chris spoke.

"I don't have any money, Joshua. But, I was thinking about being a lifeguard or something." Jennifer responded with a lame smile.

"Then it looks like we're going to have to figure out a way to get more money. Because I am going to New York City. Tonight." Joshua revealed. Chris and Natalie wondered what they should do. Joshua was wondering if this really was what he should do himself.

-----

"We're coming with you." Natalie spouted.

Chris looked anxiously around. This didn't make much sense. Why was Joshua Miller in such a hurry to get to New York City? Why had Natalie volunteered to go?

"Can I talk to you, Natalie?" Chris asked. They both walked over to the green grass.

"What is it?" Natalie responded.

"Are you sure volunteering us for a trip to New York City is the best choice right now? I thought we were going to save the money? We haven't even talked to Nick Brown"

"These people are like us. They are on your list. And even if it is a bust, we can find the people in New York City with powers. Please, do if for me. Do it for us. Do it for you." She said. Chris wanted to refuse but he knew she was right. He had to go wherever these people went. His source had told him. Most importantly, Natalie had.

-----

"Are you okay, Joshua? I mean. These people can really help us. She is like us. On the back of one of your drawings you drew her. Two drawings. One showed a woman looking at the sky: it was gray and covered over the sun. And other showed it completely sunny and her looking up to it in joy. I think she's real. But if you don't want to deal with this right now it's okay. But, what's wrong? You look worried." Jennifer asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"We don't have enough money. I can't do this alone. My power can't stop this, Jenn. Even if I go into the apartment like this drawing depicts and if all I feel is right is right, how could I stop Retroman from being shot? I need someone to help me."

"I'll come with you. Okay?"

"But--"

"I'm coming with you and that's final. Any more complaining and I'll kick your butt."

"Aww." Joshua answered.

"I know where we can get some cash. From Nick. He has enough."

"Can I ask you something? I know it's totally inappropriate. Why did you date him?" He said suddenly.

"Joshua, I don't know. He's really not such a bad guy most of the time, ya know? He just doesn't have a good foundation. And I know you guys think your worlds apart. But you aren't. He's like us, he has an ability. He said like-- he can use electricity. Can you believe that? Maybe things can be different from here on out. You opened up to me, and I've seen the good in you. You can be anything you want."

"Do you really believe things can be different?"

"They can be." She replied. They both smiled and laughed. Things seemed so simple. Like every single part of his life could be different.


	16. Homecoming, part two

Jason woke up. He immediately noticed that he was tied to a chair with a gun pointed at the back of the head. He looked over. Alexis seemed fine. Even though she was tied up too. She was playing it safe. His whole body seemed to be in pain.

"Look who decided to join us." The one who shot him greeted.

"Buenos dias." Jason said sarcastically.

"Always with the witty humor. I do enjoy it. Jason. Jason Adams." The man said and walked in front of him.

"Hi, Bryan. I know you too. How's your life going? Mine is going pretty sucky. Had to watch a high-stepping musical, got shot and tied up. It's all in a days work, I guess."

"Shouldn't have left your door unlocked. Now, let's chat. Shall we?" He paused. "Who do you work for?" He said, narrowing his eyes.

Jason tried to fight it with all his might. But he couldn't.

"The company." He answered. Bryan smiled. He looked over at Alexis. She looked mentally hurt as much as he was physically hurt.

"What is he talking about?" Alexis said. She hoped Jason was lying about this. That he was working for someone.

"And why are you hanging out with Alexis Jade?"

"She's my assignment." Jason gushed. Alexis looked at him with a blank expression. He always has had an agenda, she thought.

-----

"Money's not a problem. Trust me. And truth be told, I want to get the hell out of here." Nick said coolly.

"Can't you just give us the money?" Joshua said bluntly.

"Look, dude, I'm sorry about stuffing you in lockers and stuff. Allright? It was in a way what some could consider immature. But I really want a vacation. I'll behave." He said, small sarcasm in his voice.

"Fine. You can come." Joshua said. He figured that there was a reason why Nick wanted to leave so badly. He would figure that later.

"One more thing. Nick, Joshua's been having things happen to him too." Jennifer admitted.

"What? You and him both have abilities too? That's insane."

"We'll talk about it on the plane." Joshua said, almost friendly. They had a plane to catch. This was going to be an interesting plane ride, Joshua thought.

-----

"So, let me get this straight." Chris began.

"You, Joshua, can draw people with abilities? Jennifer, you can heal people? And Nick, you have electromagnetism?"

"It sounds like it." Joshua concluded. They were on the plane. His parents were going to kill him. Jennifer and Nick's parents would probably kill them. At least they were being teenagers-- rebelling.

"I guess we're more alike then meets the eye." Nick said. He couldn't believe that he and Joshua both had some connection. The guy he always bothered when he was bothered. Jennifer was asleep. Joshua studied her for a few seconds.

"Are we really going to New York for a vacation?" Nick said sternly. Joshua really didn't want to tell his entire story to anyone except Jennifer who he was beginning to trust more and more. He needed time to figure out something.

"Yeah." Joshua lied. He couldn't possibly explain his situation to anyone else. He needed time to think what he could do. How could he stop someone from being shot fatally? Chris and Natalie both thought they were going there to locate someone important with abilities. Only Jennifer knew the whole truth.

"Why does she like you so much? Jennifer I mean. The whole time we talked last night she mentioned you about fifty times. I didn't even know you knew each other." Nick inquired.

"She talked about me?" Joshua asked. Nick nodded. Joshua found himself smiling for the first time in what seemed like days. He took several sheets of blank pieces of paper. It was time for action. It was time to find out how far he could really go with his ability.

-----

Gregory tried to search Kathryn's ocean blue eyes for some hope. It was there. But he knew that the weight of the world was still on his shoulders. Kathryn shifted her hands in her pockets. She took out something. A necklace.

"You know how I said that I went back in time? I wanted so badly to get something for you. Something that you could carry with you everyday and maybe think of me. I know it's really dumb but it was the best I could find in the store. The store in the future. Oh gosh. Anyway, it made me think of you." She said. She handed him the necklace. A black string held a blue crest. He held it in the palm of his hands. Looking up, he took one last look at the sun. He took in the Iowa weather and the house that he had always lived in.

"I love it." Gregory said as he put it on. They both looked at each other and knew. That they had to go. He held her hand and focused. For the first time, he would try and bring both himself and someone using his power. There was a reason he had first gone to New York City for the few seconds. It was all connected. He remembered the setting in Times Square when he first travelled. How nervous he was about his date with Kathryn. Focusing on how Kathryn had just given him the necklace while he focused on Times Square, he closed his eyes. Kathryn watched as Everwood, Iowa vanished. In a blink of an eye everything had changed.

-----

Ryan paced. He was uneasy. The person who he thought could be an ally had shot some teenage kid.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryan demanded, pushing Bryan aside. Bryan didn't respond.

"You can't trust him." Jason said. He could barely talk. His body was killing him. He was trying to think of a plan.

"Shutup." Bryan simply said.

"He works for the people who kidnapped you. Not Alexis Jade. She has nothing to do with this."

"Why don't you tell us what exactly the company does?" Bryan quizzed. Jason couldn't fight his mouth from moving. Crap.

"We study and track evolved humans."

"So it was you who kidnapped me?" Ryan asked, moving his head to Jason. Bryan kept his gun pointed at Jason but moved behind Ryan.

"No. It wasn't." Bryan confessed. He clocked Ryan from behind with his gun. Alexis was looking down at the ground.

"Three evolved humans. Not bad, eh? Especially three with such powerful abilities. Super strength, telekinesis, and invisibility. It's a shame you might all be dead soon. But, it's for the greater good." He said. Jason tried to think of a way out of this. There was none.

-----

Joshua's vision returned. He quickly stared at his drawing. Nick looked on anxiously as did Chris and Natalie.

"You've been drawing for like--twenty minutes!" Nick noticed. Joshua checked out the drawings he had created. He had finally harnessed his power. All of the drawings depicted Retroman. He had drawn Retroman standing in an apartment which seemed to look like the previous drawing he had made-- the apartment where Retroman was going to get shot. One showed the view from outside from possibly a sidewalk, with that one apartment being emphasized and not the others. Vaguely, it showed a body in that apartment. One showed a teenage boy and a woman both looking defeated and blank in the same apartment. Then one showed Retroman on one knee. But he hadn't been shot. As cryptic as it still was, it was what he wanted. All he had to do was hope that he could find the exact apartment and stop the future. The future that he'd drawn.

-----

Chris had just got done watching Joshua create his drawings. It was exactly what he'd hoped for. Before he could reflect on it, he heard Joshua's voice.

"Didn't you say you have a list of people with powers?" Joshua asked. Chris handed him the list and tried to explain.

"There are about forty people. Some are deceased but most are alive."

"Dawn Freeman, Laurel Andrews, Jonathan Oakdale, Elizabeth Stewart, Jason Adams, Alexis Jade." He paused. "That's them."

"Who?" Chris responded.

"Jason Adams and Alexis Jade. There are more people from New York--but something tells me that it's them. Do you have any addresses?"

"Yes, on another page, here."

Joshua surveyed the page. He found the address for Alexis Jade. Beyond a shadow of a doubt he knew this was it.

"This is it." Joshua said. He seemed almost like a leader. He felt like one. But all we wanted to do was save Retroman. Since Retroman could hold the key to the future, it meant he had to save the world. Ugh, he thought.


	17. Homecoming, part three

Jennifer's eyes slowly opened. She was being nudged by Joshua. The plane had landed and she'd barely even stirred. He actually looked excited.

"Hey sleepyhead." Joshua said. He almost didn't sound awkward at all. He was certainly changing.

"Hi." She said. She looked over at Nick and gave a casual smile. Chris and Natalie seemd like they were trying to figure out why Joshua was really so urgent in coming here. So was Nick. They were all suspicious. He hadn't wanted to risk Nick getting involved but she knew he could truely help. She watched at Joshua got his stuff and rushed out, pushing people out of his way politely but assertively. She couldn't help but laugh at how much he was in a hurry. She stood back and talked to Nick as they stayed behind.

"Nick. Joshua didn't want to get you into this. But he's planning to find someone. That's like us, I think. . This is real. Like I told you, we're all in this together. And he drew this person getting shot. He tracked this guy here. We need all the help we can get: are you in?"

"Okay." Nick said simply. He wanted some fun. And he really was glad to be away from school and his family and the pressure most of all. They both hurried, knowing Joshua was going to be impatient. Of course at that moment he was beginning to become impatient.

-----

"Why are you doing this?" Alexis asked. She couldn't move. It looked like Bryan was toying with them.

"I have to. You think things are black and white? That I'm the bad guy in this scenario? Your so naive. Your a bigger part of this than you know. We've been trying to get you for a long time."

"We?"

"That's enough you need to know about that. I am doing what's best for you all." Bryan said. He was waiting for something.

"I'm sorry, Alexis." Jason said solemnly.

"You both got over your heads. Jason, the Company has been corrupt for a long time. You need to know that. Do you know now? Which reminds me, Jason, why did you get assigned to Alexis, really?" He prodded.

"Alexis, I stopped you from joining them and to protect you. I swear on my life." He confessed. Alexis's anger seemed to stop. He was telling the absolute truth.

"This it. We've made it to this point. Before I do this thing. I want to give you both a chance. You can join us. We can do this thing, we can stop all these people with these abilities-- the people creating havoc around the world. You can wipe the slate clean and work for our cause. It can all be yours."

"No." They both said at the same time. They both smiled. Jason finally remembered the reason why he had been so happy lately. His new friend, his only friend left.

"I said 'no' first." Jason joked.

"No way you little monkey, I did." Alexis came back.

"Little monkey? What the heck?"

"Well I don't know I'm tied up and about to die I don't really have time to think. Plus you kind of do look like a monkey."

"I do not look like a monkey! I take offense to that." Joshua quibbed.

"I'm just kidding. If we ever get out of this I'll give you a big hug as an apology."

"Then will you take off your shirt?"

"No."

"Oh." Jason said disappointingly.

"So all this time you were trying to protect me? From who?"

"Not even a strip tease?" Jason said in disbelief. He was dodging the question again. Bryan didn't seem to notice. He was too busy staring at his cell phone. It finally rang. He picked it up. Well, this sucks, Jason pondered to himself.

-----

Chris drove the car as everyone else tried to figure out a game plan.

"So, wait, we have to stop this superpowered guy from being shot? And these two people live there with superpowers?" Natalie recited as she looked at the newest drawings.

"Yes. I just don't know who is behind this or why. But this is where it happens. And it's going to happen tonight. I just know it."

"This is the place." Chris said. They looked as they located the apartment complex that Chris had gotten from his source. It was also the same apartment complex Joshua had drawn. The exact same.

-----

When the defining moments are thrust upon us, we must find the power to answer the call.

Bryan hung up the phone. He had gotten what he wanted. Clearance. He shuffled through a jacket he had tossed to the floor when he had entered with his partner and took out a needle. Ryan awoke from his slumber. Bryan glanced at the serum for seconds. He turned around, preparing to use the formula all of these people in the room. Instead, he was met with a punch that shot him across the room.

"Ka pow!" Ryan said triumphantly.

-----

We must find the grace needed to excel in that defining moment.

Everyone ran to the apartments, trying to get to the room as soon as possible. Nick, Joshua, and Jennifer took the lead. They all had to work together to rescue whoever they could that had powers like them. They burst into the room. Joshua smiled as he prepared to do whatever he could do. He had people in his life now. Nick prepared to use his power, while Jennifer felt comfortable and safe.

-----

The courage.

Chris followed from behind and noticed suddenly that he was holding Natalie's hand. He glanced around, wondering when that happened. He had totally been taken aback lately. He followed behind and entered the apartment. There were the two strangers tied up, while one light-skinned man held his fists in the air. One man was across the room, trying to heal from his wounds.

-----

Joshua searched for Retroman. He wasn't there. But he was confident and knew that he had found so many people like him. The social outcast he had thought himself of had almost ceased to exist. Retroman wasn't here, but he stood waiting for anything.

-----

The heart.

"I love you." Gregory whispered as they both had their eyes closed. They knew things were different. Their setting was different. Their lives were.

"I love you too." Kathryn whispered. They both opened their eyes. They were in an apartment. There were people all around them. Kathryn continued to hold Gregory's hand. This wasn't Times Square. He looked around him as he tried to figure out where he was and who these people were. As he looked around at each one his mind started to ache painfully. It was the worst headache he'd ever experienced. He staggered to one knee, holding his hands against his head, wishing the pain would go away. His heart was beating faster than ever before.

-----

The spirit.

Gary levitated down to the ground. Piece of cake. He was at another facility. He opened the door, seeing a familiar face.

"Hey. How much progress have you gotten?"

"We're still trying. The best we can get is a 30 percent success rate. It's not bad though, don't you think?" The woman said in a businesslike tone.

"Keep working on it. We have to keep trying, we have to get it to a hundred percent. Okay?" Gary said firmly.

"I will." The woman replied.

"Don't worry, we're getting closer. To the beginning. Of it all."

With that, they stopped talking. She went back to work as he thought. They were getting closer. To not being truely powerless any longer.

-----

In that defining moment, no matter for better or worse, we learn one thing.

Bryan was still concious. But he knew there was a group. He quickly got up. He ran and picked up Ryan's gun while everyone was distracted by one another. How did all these people get here? He waved the gun, surveying each one in each instant. He would still achieve what he wanted. He had to. Then he saw someone. He stared at the young man who was on one knee. He seemed familiar. Very familiar. Without flinching, Bryan moved his finger to the trigger.

-----

Everything must change.

The shot rang out. Kathryn's eyes her closed and focused only at stopping time for that moment. She tried with all her might. It didn't work. Her heart almost stopped as she heard the sound of the gunshot.

-----

"Retroman!" Joshua shouted out into the air. But it was too late. The shot had been fired in an instant and no one could stop it. They all stood motionless.

-----

The bullet entered Gregory's body. His thoughts seem to file in his mind for that moment. How much he wanted to feel Kathryn's lips against hers, how he wanted to listen to rock'n'roll, how amazing his homecoming would be and how he would be with his family forever. Those thoughts seemed to linger but then swayed into one last one. He was dead.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

When Heroes: New Beginnings returns, the apocolyptic future is becoming closer and closer. Each moment will be pivotal to the future. The revelations will arrive. How will Gregory's death effect every person? Who is the mystery man? What are Gary's real motivations? What ability or abilities does he have? What could cause a global world war? Who will be a hero? The answers will be revealed.

**I would like to thank each and every reader who's read to this point. It's truely been an adventure and this is just about the biggest challenge for a story I've tried to tackle! This is the "mid-season finale" so I hope you enjoyed it! It was really short but I felt like it was one of the most important chapters so far! Thank you to everyone.**


	18. news

Hey to everyone who spends the time to read this--I wanted to talk about Heroes: New Beginnings and what's ahead. It's been a long LONG time since I updated anything about it--but I wanted to disclose that right now I haven't really written any more for the story--I mean, it's still possible that I could but I've encountered several mini-problems--and it wasn't as original as I wanted it to be. I'm planning to start writing a Heroes: Origins story, something that I've already started, but it will have more character progression, more development characterwise power variety, and it will actually be different in many ways then Heroes. Anyway, from what I've written from this new story a lot of personalities are still the same. I still could come back to this story but thanx for all who read this and enjoy it ;) see ya later

paradisedude91


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